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At the end of September, a major fire ravaged the Lubrizol factory in Rouen in the west of France, causing almost 10,000 tonnes of products to leave in a cloud of smoke, half of which were chemical. While the origin of the fire has still not been determined by the judicial investigation, the factory will still reopen.
Important fire protection devices have been installed and some of Lubrizol's employees will be able to return to work. The company that manufactures industrial lubricants is classified as Seveso high threshold. This means that it uses substances considered to be dangerous or toxic.
And that is why the authorization to resume activity is only partial. Only two workshops for mixing products will reopen, and that would not include the use of toxic materials, according to the prefecture.
The green light is very framed according to public authorities, the company must limit both the storage of finished products and raw materials to avoid any risk of fire.
But a source close to the file, indicates that the activity in question still supposes to store products dangerous for the environment.
This decision worries residents . The "Lubrizol Collective", which brings together some of the inhabitants of Rouen who want to shed light on the fire, describes this choice as " shameful ". He considers it dangerous to open the factory before knowing the origin of the fire and the end of the judicial investigation .
Read also: France: what do we know about the fire at the Lubrizol factory in Rouen?