A major fire is raging in the production hall of the company ECCO Leather on the Vierbundersweg in Dongen. Around midnight the fire became so great that the fire brigade has scaled up. Flames beat out of the building and a lot of thick smoke is released. Chemicals and oil are stored in the building. The fire brigade focuses on cooling that space to prevent the content from catching fire.
The fire broke out just before ten on Sunday evening. In the company, leather is made for the bag and shoe industry. The chemicals and oil that are needed for this are stored in a well-secured room, reports a spokesperson for the Central and West Brabant Security Region. The fire brigade does everything to ensure that it is not on fire.
There is a large number of solar panels on the building. Sharp particles of this swirl around the fire, these particles can be dangerous. An 112 photographer from Omroep Brabant was asked to leave for safety reasons. It is not clear how large the area is where the particles come. In the meantime, the Almkerk fire brigade is busy with measurements in Rijen, in the street Zaaren. There too, the sharp foil particles fall from the sky.
In the meantime, part of the roof is on fire. The fire brigade tries to get the fire under control. To get enough extinguishing water, a pump of water is removed from the Wilhelminakanaal. The Safety Region asks people to stay away from the area to prevent the snakes from being damaged. Surrounding companies, where work is done 24 hours a day, are informed and staff can leave the site via a special driving route.
GRIP 1 and GRIP 2
Around midnight, the fire brigade scaled up to GRIP 1, which means that coordination is required between all emergency services in the fire. Around a quarter to one was scaled up to GRIP 2, because the fire has become even bigger. GRIP 2 means that the mayor has been informed and that the municipality is involved to communicate about the fire.
At least four extinguishers and two aerial platforms are on site, including from Dongen, Rijen, Oosterhout and ‘s Gravenmoer. Due to the size of the building, the fire brigade has used an extra fire brigade platoon. An extra aerial platform is on the road and there is a drone team on site to visualize the situation from the air.
As far as is known at the Safety Region, there were no people in the factory when the fire broke out.
The fire brigade tries to prevent the fire from spreading even further. According to the Safety Region, there is no direct danger for surrounding buildings on the industrial site. “It is a large building, but it is separate and there is a road between the building next to it,” said the spokesperson.
The Safety Region advises people to keep windows and doors closed and turn off the ventilation. A spokesperson said that the clouds of smoke do not pull over residential areas.