Fillinges english summary
On Friday, January 20, 2023, at around 7:00 a.m., a tanker truck carrying liquefied propane gas was traveling on road D907, known as the "Route de la Vallée du Giffre." As it entered the town of Fillinges, the driver, who was alone on board, noticed a fire starting in the front of the vehicle, near the engine compartment.
Knowing the region perfectly and aware of the risks associated with this type of transportation, he decided not to stop and continued on his way, parking near a sparsely populated area.
After unsuccessfully trying to stop the fire by emptying the two fire extinguishers in the truck, he requested the intervention of the fire department to contain the blaze.
The firefighters’ response conditions were extremely challenging, particularly due to the major risks to their own personnel and the difficult access due to the distance from the fire stations, heavy traffic, and weather conditions worsened by the presence of snow.
The vehicle fire spread until it spread throughout the parking area, and the resulting rise in temperature caused a build-up of pressure in the gas contained in the tank, leading to its rupture and a BLEVE explosion.
The direct cause of this incident was a fire in the truck’s engine compartment, the origin of which could not be determined.
On a human level, a resident of a house located above the accident was injured by the material damage to their home. On a material and environmental level, the force of the explosion caused significant property damage to nearby houses and the projection of significant amounts of debris from the truck several hundred meters.
The driver, by moving his vehicle away from a densely populated area, accurately informing emergency services about the materials being transported and the associated risks, and working with them to secure the area, significantly contributed to limiting the effects of this incident, the consequences of which could have been much more serious, particularly in terms of human safety.
The BEA-TT makes three recommendations and an invitation aimed, firstly, at strengthening the safety of vehicles transporting hazardous materials that present a risk of explosion following a fire, particularly when these vehicles are traveling in urban areas, and secondly, at conducting a review of the intervention procedures of fire and rescue services and the resources to be implemented in such cases.
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