Smoke from France industrial waste fire confines 30,000 indoors

• An industrial waste fire in Gandrange, France, on Aug 2 caused thick smoke, forcing 30,000 people indoors and causing headaches and nausea.
• The fire was controlled by the afternoon, but smoke was visible 15km away in Metz, raising health concerns among residents.
• France faces severe wildfire issues this summer, with large fires and toxic smoke spreading pollutants across continents, as noted by the World Meteorological Organization.

STRASBOURG, France - An industrial waste warehouse caught fire in France on Aug 2, the authorities said, spewing foul smoke that gave residents headaches with some 30,000 people urged to remain indoors.

The fire broke out in the north-eastern village of Gandrange on the morning of Aug 2, but was under control by the afternoon, local civil defence spokeswoman Geraldine Chambeaudie said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Local media reported the smoke was visible some 15km away in the city of Metz.

Amandine Vecchio, 34, said she was taken aback by the smoke when she left a cinema in the nearby town of Amneville.

“It smelt terrible, and gave me a headache straight away,” she said.

She said she told her eight-year-old daughter to place her stuffed toy in front of her mouth and nose, and rang her teenage son at home to tell him to bring their dog and cats inside and close the windows.

The mayor of the nearby village of Clouange, Clement Deriu, said the smoke was causing headaches.

“From what I have been told, it’s making people nauseous,” he added.

France has been rocked by a summer of wildfires, including the country’s largest blaze since 1949 that has ravaged some 42,000ha of land.

That fire in a pine forest near the winemaking capital of Bordeaux was under control on Aug 2 more than a week after it erupted, but firefighters continued to douse flames that were still active in several areas.

In 2025, the World Meteorological Organization said wildfires can send a toxic mix of pollutants thousands of kilometres away.

It noted that, in 2024, smoke from wildfires in Canada caused air pollution even as far away as Europe. AFP