The fire broke out at Kronospan in Sanem on Wednesday morning CGDIS

The fire broke out at Kronospan in Sanem on Wednesday morning CGDIS

According to the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue body, some 70 firefighters attended the initial call to a blazing pile of wood waste at Kronospan on the morning of Wednesday, 31 July. They were backed up by a further 120 firefighters, many of which were still on site on Thursday.

Problems accessing water supplies, the composition of materials in the factory and wind hampered their efforts to bring the fire under control.

According to emergency services, the fire was located in an outdoor storage area for laminated wood waste.

Contacted by Delano, Kronospan Luxembourg managing director Peter Stadler explained it a mound of tree bark kept in the log yard which was destined to be burned as biomass for energy. It is thought to have combusted through fermentation because of the heat. Stadler said: "The firefighters really avoided that the fire spread to the production area [...] They made a fantastic job."

He further added that production would not be interrupted by the incident, since the production facilities were not damaged. He described the financial impact of damages as "limited". An internal investigation is expected to follow.

Kronospan is an Austrian firm manufacturing wood-based panelling used in flooring, furniture and timber-framed houses. In 2017, it employed over 14,500 people globally.

It’s not the first time the firm has experienced a fire at its sites. In December 2017, France 3 reported that a blaze broke out in a pile of wood chips at Kronospan’s Jonche/Auxerre facility in France. Its report suggested that the wood fermented before igniting. Similar fires in silos were also reported in 2016 and 2017, according to France 3.

Delano contacted Kronospan for comment but the firm had not responded at the time of publishing.