Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries when a large fire broke out on the morning of Wednesday, February 9th at a money printing factory in Chamalières, France.
Footage of the fire circulating online showed large plumes of smoke rising from the Banque de France printing works, which is located in central France.
At least 70 firefighters were reportedly sent to the scene to tackle the blaze, though authorities reported that the fire was under control by noon.
En ce moment à la banque de france Clermont ferrand #clermontferrand #banquedefrance #incendie pic.twitter.com/NYPfPNLy7Z
— Thewatchoniste (@thewatchoniste) February 9, 2022
Local media reported that 34 people suffered minor injuries during the incident, including ten individuals who were brought to Clermont-Ferrand, a nearby hospital.
In a statement released on social media, the Bank of France confirmed that the fire was under control, the site had been evacuated, and the 387 employees who were at the money printing factory at the time of the fire were safe.
Speaking about the incident, site director Pierre-Yves Boissinot said that “there will inevitably be an impact” on the production of currency, but added: “We are not worried because the overall production tool has not been affected… it could have been worse.”
Approximately 2.5 billion banknotes are printed at the Banque de France printing works building each year.
“We do not know how the fire broke out, there will necessarily be a judicial inquiry,” the governor of Puy-de-Dome Philippe Chopin said, adding that there was “no danger to the public as there were no toxic products at the place where the fire started.”
Despite Chopin’s statement, earlier reports had urged the local population to stay at home and to not open windows because of the smoke.
Following the fire, site manager Lieutenant-Colonel Mickael Besseyre said: “Our main objectives were to identify the victims and to limit the spread of the disaster.”
Speaking at 12:20pm, he noted that the fire had been contained, adding: “At the start, the fire was very violent but we were able to control it quite quickly.”
