Petrokemija Kutina: Conveyor Belt Fire, No Injuries

A fire broke out Wednesday afternoon at the Petrokemija plant in Kutina, Croatia, one of the largest mineral fertilizer factories in this part of Europe, and was brought under control within an hour and a half. Incidents at chemical plants of this size are watched beyond the borders of the country where they happen, since any resulting air pollution does not respect administrative lines, and that was exactly the question raised first in Kutina itself on Wednesday evening.

In brief

• The fire was reported on September 9 at 3:09 p.m. and contained by 4:45 p.m.
• A conveyor belt located between buildings on the plant grounds caught fire
• Thirty firefighters with 15 vehicles worked the scene, with another 36 firefighters and 10 vehicles on standby
• Part of the plant and the administration building were evacuated, no injuries were reported and no air pollution was recorded

The report of the fire at the Petrokemija plant came in on Wednesday, September 9, at 3:09 p.m. The fire hit a conveyor belt located between buildings on the plant grounds, the Croatian Firefighting Association said. Firefighters contained the blaze by 4:45 p.m., less than two hours after the initial report.

Thirty firefighters with 15 vehicles were dispatched to the scene. Crews included members of Petrokemija Kutina’s professional firefighting unit, the Kutina firefighting unit, public firefighting units from Sisak, Novska and Garesnica, and volunteer firefighting societies from Struzec and Lipovljani. Another 26 firefighters with seven vehicles remained on standby, drawn from the Sisak intervention firefighting unit and six volunteer societies across Sisak-Moslavina County, while a further ten firefighters with three vehicles waited in reserve from public firefighting units in Daruvar and Cazma.

Part of the plant and the administration building were evacuated in the meantime, according to unofficial information. People’s health was not at risk at that point, said chief fire commander Slavko Tucakovic. No injuries were reported, and no air pollution was recorded during the response.

Croatia’s finance minister, Tomislav Coric, was the first official to weigh in, calling the situation under control on the sidelines of the Croatian Chamber of Economy’s “Let’s Support Sustainability” conference on Wednesday.

The fire at Petrokemija has already been brought under control. It involved burning rubber on one segment of the production area, far from the chemicals, so there is no danger at all. Those are the first reports.

An hour and a half later, the Croatian Firefighting Association officially confirmed that assessment in a statement from the scene.

The fire was contained at 4:45 p.m., and cleanup and clearing of the site are underway.

Firefighters stayed at the site until the cleanup was finished, according to the statement.

The official cause of the fire has not yet been determined, though plant management has already offered early indications. Ivica Losso, Petrokemija’s director of quality and health protection, said the fire broke out during testing of transport equipment around 3 p.m., and that self-ignition of the rubber belt is presumed to be the most likely cause. Miroslav Skalicki, a member of Petrokemija’s management board, confirmed that it was rubber that burned and that the chemicals at the plant were not touched by the fire.

Although the incident ended without injuries and without recorded air pollution, one question lingered in Kutina after the fire. Residents asked on Wednesday evening why the early warning and crisis management system had not sounded while smoke was visible over the city. As of Wednesday evening, according to available sources, that question still had no answer.