Bank of France money factory goes up in flames

More than 30 people have been injured and hundreds evacuated as a Bank of France money factory (print) goes up in flames in Chamalieres. The fire took more than three hours to extinguish after emergency services escorted the facility’s more than 380 staff to safety.

Firefighters were called to the factory on Wednesday morning as smoke poured 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.

At the peak of the event, nearly 24 vehicles and 70 firefighters were on site.

Smoke pours from money printing factory in France | A Bank of France factory is on fire in the city of #Chamalier. 24 people have reportedly been injured. It’s not clear whether any cash has gone up in flames. (RIA Novosti)

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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, clean-up operations were still in progress at the site.

No information is yet available on how the Bank of France fire started with investigations still underway as to why the factory went up in flames. It is understood that the plant has been made secure by internal security forces.

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