About 30,000 People in All — to Stay Indoors After a Fire Broke Out in a Suez Warehouse Classed As a Lower-tier Seveso Site

Moselle prefecture orders 30,000 residents to shelter after Suez warehouse fire The Moselle prefecture on Sunday ordered residents of Amnéville and four neighboring towns — about 30,000 people in all — to stay indoors after a fire broke out in a Suez warehouse classed as a lower-tier Seveso site. In a statement, the prefecture said residents of Gandrange, Amnéville, Vitry-sur-Orne, Clouange and Rombas should remain confined “until further notice” as a precaution. The blaze tore through a 500-square-meter warehouse at the Safe (SUEZ Alternative Fuels & Energies) facility in the Gandrange industrial zone.

A column of black smoke has been visible in the area since 10 a.m., according to ICI Lorraine. The Est Républicain reported that around 130 firefighters were deployed with 75 vehicles and specialized hazardous-materials units. “The air is simply unbreathable, one resident in Amnéville told local reporters. The prefecture said security and rescue forces were fully mobilized on site, that operations were still under way, and that state services would share further information as soon as it became available.”