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Just before 4 am, the fire was still not under control. Rescue services have been primarily on site with 17 units, and the industrial fire brigade is also involved.
– We’re still getting cold up there. It burns in a compressor. The work is focused on cooling the adjacent parts of the process investigation so that we can shut it down in a controlled and safe way, says Niclas Fogelqvist at the rescue service in Greater Gothenburg.
Describe fire as complicated.
– We will be there for many more hours, throughout the night, he says.
Plastic factory
The so-called cracking plant mainly produces ethylene and propylene, which is used as a raw material in the nearby polyethylene plant.
The management team and other experts have met at the emergency center in the factory area during the afternoon and evening, says communicator Maria Bildtmark.
“What we have been careful about is making sure our staff is safe, and we learned that from the rescue service,” he says.
– Now we work to keep employees and the factory safe, she says.
TT: Do you have a clear idea of what happened?
– No, we still haven’t. Now it is the rescue service that is inside to handle the incident. Then we can see where and how and the consequences, she says.
Flames and smoke
The flames that are visible from the plant come from the so-called flares, which are a security system. Typically, according to the company, steam is added to prevent soot, but the steam boilers are still there, making the smoke black.
An important message was sent to the public, urging residents of the area to enter and close doors, windows, and ventilation.
– The smoke pillar is not only related to fire, but it is also the torches that burn excess gases. They always do, says Dan Lindqvist in the rescue service.
Correction: In an earlier version it was incorrectly stated that polyethylene is manufactured in the cracking plant. Instead, the raw material used in the nearby polyethylene plant is manufactured.
Gustav Sjöholm / TT
