Dozens of people have reportedly been injured in a fire at a Bank of France factory in Chamalieres
More than 30 people have been injured and hundreds evacuated from a burning money-printing plant in Chamalieres, France. It took the emergency services three hours to extinguish the blaze.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene on Wednesday morning, as the facility’s 387 employees were escorted to safety. With smoke pouring out of the factory, residents of Chamalieres were advised to remain indoors and keep their windows closed.
Video footage showed fire crews battling the blaze from all angles, as a column of thick black smoke spewed from the roof of the building.
The fire was brought under control within three hours, and local authorities said that no chemicals were affected by the blaze. In a statement, regional officials said 34 people suffered minor injuries in the incident, 10 of whom were taken to hospital for treatment. Two firefighters were among the injured.
Operated by the Central Bank of France, the Chamalieres factory is one of 11 high-security printing works in Europe that produce Euro banknotes. At time of writing, cleanup operations were still in progress at the site.
