Firefighters have extinguished a fire that broke out at BASF SE’s chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
The fire followed an explosion in the southern part of the site at about noon on July 29 after an organic solvent leakage, BASF said in a statement.
According to local police reports, 18 people suffered slight injuries, including seven firefighters. BASF said 15 employees were examined at its medical center and were discharged without needing to go to a hospital.
The cause of the solvent leakage is under investigation by local authorities and there are currently no updates.
BASF said the fire was controlled within 45 minutes. Despite detecting slightly elevated levels of hydrocarbons inside the factory premises and surrounding area, BASF said there is no danger to the Ludwigshafen population. The company later said in another statement that there is no contamination of the air, water or soil.
The German chemical giant has shut down production at its flagship site, which it said is in safe condition.
BASF did not disclose exactly which production site was affected. The Ludwigshafen plant covers an area of approximately 10 square kilometers and includes plastics and basic chemicals production, alongside many other chemical products.
Shares in the company fell by 2.8 percent during the afternoon of July 29 but have since slightly recovered.
In 2023, BASF announced it would shut down a number of production facilities at Ludwigshafen, following a major cost-cutting program in Europe. The stringent measures are in response to a significant business decline at BASF, amid a challenging trading environment, linked to the war in Ukraine and in particular increased raw material and energy prices.