Fire in the Bouches-du-Rhône: the Berre pond affected by pollution

In the town of Saint-Chamas (Bouches-du-Rhône), the mayor asked the schools not to take the children out. An industrial center has been burning for ten days, mobilizing around sixty firefighters. If lhe fire is now under control, it still emits significant smoke.

For the inhabitants, there is no question of opening the windows, at least for the moment. “There was thick black smoke all around. Since then, we are in the mist”, declares a local woman. Indeed, the air is loaded with very toxic fine microparticles, ranging up to 140 micrograms per cubic meter, while the alert threshold is 80. The factory’s huge illegal stocks are believed to be the cause, and the mayor has called for sanctions. The factory defends itself by specifying that it has never been prohibited from exercising.