Europe 1 with AFP // Credits: LOU BENOIST / AFP 8:17 p.m., March 11, 2024

The Esso-ExxonMobil refinery in Port-Jérôme, in Seine-Maritime, was the scene of a fire on Monday.

The fire caused five minor injuries, including two firefighters, according to the industry group. 

A fire broke out Monday afternoon at the Esso-ExxonMobil refinery, a Seveso site located in Port-Jérôme, between Le Havre and Rouen (Seine-Maritime), causing five minor injuries, we learned from the industrial group.

“The fire broke out around 3:25 p.m. in a distillation unit of the refinery,” Catherine Brun, communications manager for ExxonMobil France, told AFP.

The disaster “would be in the process of being extinguished by internal means,” she added.

“Three people were treated at the infirmary and will return home this evening and two others were taken to Lillebonne hospital for additional examinations,” she said.

A little earlier, a union source on the site had reported "five slightly injured employees who were near the start of the fire. These are people who were shocked or had minor injuries."

“This major fire was contained in 30 to 40 minutes,” said the union source.

Two firefighters injured 

The “five injured” are ExxonMobil employees, including two firefighters, according to the head of occupational health issues for CGT 76, Gérald Le Corre.

According to ExxonMobil's communication, "as a Seveso site, we have resources available on the site" to deal with this type of accident and the "internal operation plan has been triggered".

“The staff were brought to safety,” said Ms. Brun.

From a union source, the internal operation plan "is still in progress. A crisis unit has been set up. The fire was extinguished with resources positioned on the site."

“Several units are in the safety phase with flare episodes. For the moment, the petrochemical part is not impacted but it could be in the medium term since the two sites work together,” we said. added from the same source.

Informed of the situation, "the SDIS76 (the firefighters) sent an evaluation and reconnaissance echelon to the site. The analysis of the situation did not justify the sending of intervention means external to those already mobilized on the site,” the prefecture said in a statement, adding that the fire generated “a plume of smoke.”

“In order to measure possible impacts on air quality, samples were taken under the responsibility of the industrialist,” according to the prefecture.

According to Ms. Brun, “air quality monitoring is underway” and the first samples examined by Atmo Normandie indicate that “the fire has had no impact on air quality” so far. .

“State services are closely monitoring developments in the situation, in conjunction with the operator. The services of Dreal (Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing) are notably on site” , specified the prefecture according to which “the fire is under control”.

According to ExxonMobil, around a thousand people work on the site.

The Gravenchon platform, in the town of Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine in Normandy, includes a refinery and an Esso lubricants factory, backed by an ExxonMobil Chemical France petrochemical complex.