A significant fire broke out at a battery recycling plant in Viviez, southern France, as approximately 900 tonnes of lithium batteries were engulfed in flames. The blaze, which started on Saturday in a warehouse owned by French recycling group SNAM, sent a thick cloud of black smoke billowing into the sky above the site. The fire, which took place on February 18, 2024, was reported by local councillor Pascal Mazet.

Lithium batteries, essential components in various electrical devices including phones and electric cars, are known to be combustible due to the materials they contain and the energy they store. The vulnerability of these batteries to catching fire when subjected to heat poses a potential danger, compounded by the emission of toxic materials during combustion.

This incident follows a previous fire in January 2023 at a Normandy warehouse storing car components and thousands of lithium batteries, which was thankfully controlled without any casualties. Despite the fire in Viviez being under control, it was expected to burn slowly for several hours, as disclosed by the prefecture in an overnight statement.

Thick smoke shrouded the Viviez plant, with reports from newspaper Le Monde indicating that around 70 firefighters were actively working to contain the flames. A security warning for the site highlighted the potential emission of highly toxic cadmium fumes from products during a major fire. However, the immediate health risk to residents was deemed low, considering the factory environment and the behavior of these toxic emissions.