Fire Breaks Out in Industrial Painting Company in Wittelsheim, France

A fire of undetermined origin broke out this Thursday around 10:40 p.m. in the company Arc en Ciel Industrie, specializing in industrial painting, located in the activity zone opposite Poulaillon, rue du Luxembourg in Wittelsheim. The building contained solvents, thinners and shot powder on the ground floor, where the fire was widespread when the firefighters arrived.

With a floor space of 3000 m², the site includes an administrative floor, at the front of the building. For the moment, the extent of the damage has not been measured and the interior of the premises is inaccessible. The sheet metal facades bent and sank, testifying to the intensity of the fire.

A large plume of smoke covered the RD 1066, without however hindering traffic. Although the fumes are odorous, they do not seem toxic; measurements will nevertheless be carried out in Reiningue.

A family business

The mayor of Wittelsheim, Yves Goepfert, and his deputy Thierry Rauber are on site, as are a large number of firefighters from several departments: 70 firefighters from the centers of Mulhouse, Cernay-Wittelsheim, Thann, Wittenheim, Colmar and Ottmarsheim, under the orders of Commander Myriam Dardart. Also on site were the gendarmes of the local brigade and the chief of staff of the prefect. A mobile command post was deployed on site.

Extinguishing water is drawn from the municipal network as well as from a specific fire reserve in the activity zone, located 800 m away. For the moment, the destination of the flowing water has not been identified. The eastern zone of the company still remains a big point of fight against the flames.

The Vosges boss of the company also went there. The family business has existed for twenty years. Initially in Illzach, it moved to its current premises in 2008. It specializes in surface treatments and industrial paints, but is not classified as at risk. According to the business manager, no one was supposed to be in the premises when the disaster occurred.

At 1:30 a.m., the fight against the fire continued and was expected to last most of the night, but the fire seemed to be losing intensity.

The disaster caused no injuries and the building was very empty, confirmed Lieutenant-Colonel Christophe Marchal, duty officer of SIS 68, stressing that “my guys worked well”. He particularly welcomed the preservation of the administrative part of the company, specifying that it should not be subject to unemployment to the extent that employees will be able to work on the other part of the establishment, approximately 25 m from the burning building.