This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
On September 27, a devastating fire broke out at the Lubrizol plant, located just outside the French city of Rouen, releasing thousands of tonnes of chemical products into the air and spreading acrid smoke over 22 kilometers.
Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz has opened an investigation into the fire, citing "involuntary destruction caused by fire due an obviously deliberate breach of a security obligation".
Three investigating magistrates in Paris have been handed the case, which is currently targeting only "X," a placeholder in France's legal system indicating that no individual or institution has yet been identified.
Despite a thorough search of Lubrizol offices, the interviewing of over 100 witnesses, and the collection of samples, investigators have yet to determine the origin of the fire.
The Lubrizol plant, owned by US billionaire Warren Buffett, produces industrial lubricants and fuel additives.
The fire has become a tipping point in public anger over environmental risks, particularly in the wake of the lead contamination sparked by the April 15 fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
As a result, the government has banned the harvesting of crops and the sale of animal products from a wide area surrounding Rouen, affecting over 1,800 farmers.
