Recycling plant explosion has left three workers with serious burns after a major fire erupted at an industrial facility in Caldes de Montbui.
The incident occurred around 7:12am on Friday morning at La Borda industrial estate, triggering multiple explosions from aerosol containers and creating a massive black smoke column visible across the area.
Firefighters confirmed the blaze began with an initial explosion, followed by subsequent detonations from the aerosol cans and paint containers the company specialised in recycling.
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Consequently, eighteen fire crews with approximately eighty personnel were dispatched to contain the emergency.
Emergency Response to Recycling Plant Explosion
Medical services transported all three injured workers to Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona with significant burns. Meanwhile, one victim sustained burns to 20% of their body while the other two suffered 9% burns in critical areas. The severity of their injuries required immediate specialised care.
The explosion forced authorities to close the C-59 road in both directions for nearly three hours. Furthermore, debris from exploding aerosol cans scattered across the surrounding area, including the adjacent highway. Emergency medical services deployed eight units alongside a joint SEM-Firefighters team and a medicalised helicopter to manage the crisis.
According to recent emergency response reports, industrial fires in the Barcelona area have required increasingly coordinated efforts between different emergency services. This incident represents another significant industrial emergency requiring multi-agency cooperation.
Fire chief Albert Cervera described the scene upon arrival: “When we arrived it looked like small bombs were going off.” He confirmed the company specialised in recycling aerosols and paint cans, which continued exploding throughout the initial response. The fire completely compromised the affected building, with crews working to prevent spread to adjacent units.
Civil Protection activated the PROCICAT pre-alert protocol for the fire, while the 112 emergency number received eighty calls about the incident. Fortunately, despite the dramatic nature of the recycling plant explosion, authorities confirmed no wider population impact occurred.
Environmental concerns were promptly addressed through air quality measurements. Additionally, firefighters notified the Catalan Water Agency about runoff water from firefighting efforts entering treatment plants, though officials expressed confidence the facilities could handle the volume.
A worker from an adjacent carpentry business described hearing a powerful explosion and witnessing one employee emerging from the burning facility with his body in flames. He and a colleague helped extinguish the flames, noting this wasn’t the first incident at the location. The worker recalled a previous fire at the same company in 2001, remarkably revealing that one of Friday’s injured workers had also been affected in that earlier incident.
Firefighters expected to maintain operations throughout Friday afternoon to fully extinguish the blaze. This recycling plant explosion represents the latest in a series of industrial safety incidents affecting the Barcelona metropolitan area in recent months, highlighting ongoing challenges in industrial safety management.
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