© Twitter / RTFirefighters battle a fire at a money printing factory in Chamaliers, France, February 9, 2022
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene on Wednesday morning, as the facility's 387 employees were escorted to safety. With smoke pouring 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.
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, cleanup operations were still in progress at the site.
Comment: There certainly have been a number of fires and explosions recently, but this fire and the high security nature of the venue, as well as its function, is all the more curious considering Macron's recent visit to Russia and his, relatively, favorable comments about the country: Amidst cyberwar games, European & US regulators warn banks to 'prepare for Russian cyberattack threat'
See also: Powerful explosion causes extensive damage to buildings in central Athens