Facility

Lubrizol France SAS — Rouen (Normandy) Industrial Complex

Lubrizol France SAS industrial chemicals manufacturing complex in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. The Rouen facility is a major European Lubrizol production site for lubricant additives and specialty chemicals (primarily engine oil additives, not CPVC). The Rouen facility gained worldwide attention on September 26, 2019 when a massive industrial fire broke out, generating a large toxic black smoke plume that covered Rouen and surrounding Normandy countryside for days. The fire destroyed warehouses containing approximately 5,000 tonnes of chemicals, caused evacuation orders, agricultural product destruction across Seine-Maritime, and a public health crisis. French authorities investigated criminal negligence. The incident demonstrated that Berkshire Hathaway's Lubrizol — which supplies both CPVC fire sprinkler polymer and lubricant additives — is itself a major industrial fire risk in its European operations. Source: https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/09/26/incendie-lubrizol-rouen_6013477_3244.html