Chemical tank explodes and catches fire in Zlín Region, dozens evacuated

An explosion followed by a fire broke out this morning in a chemical storage tank at an industrial site in the Zlín Region. The incident occurred at a facility belonging to Glycona, a company specialising in the production of methyl ester, glycerine phase separation and methanol rectification. According to police, no one was injured, but several dozen people had to be evacuated from a neighbouring building on the premises.

The explosion and subsequent fire took place in the industrial zone shortly before 8 a.m. The blast blew the lid off an industrial tank with a capacity of roughly 650 cubic metres, which was about half-filled with the chemical. The substance ignited on the surface of the tank.

Fire extinguished, substance still unidentified

Firefighters had already brought the blaze under control by shortly before 11 a.m., police said, adding that officers were guarding a cordoned-off area around the site of the explosion. Firefighters still do not know exactly what substance was inside the tank: according to their information, the material inside had a high temperature, and a chemical laboratory team from Frenštát pod Radhoštěm has been sent to the scene to carry out an analysis.

While extinguishing the blaze and subsequently cooling both the tank and its contents, rescuers are proceeding with maximum caution for the safety of their personnel. Heavy foam is being used to help lower the temperature of the tank's contents. A drone from the Zlín Region fire service has also been called in to monitor the situation from the air, relaying information directly to the operation's commander.

No danger to local residents

As a precaution, around 30 people were evacuated from nearby buildings. However, the spokesperson for the town of Otrokovice confirmed that residents of the surrounding houses are not at risk — according to firefighters, the situation does not affect them. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the explosion, while Glycona's management has declined to comment.

Source: novinky.cz