Explosion and Fire at BASF Complex Injure More Than Two Dozen Workers

More than two dozen workers were injured in a midday explosion and fire at BASF’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany, on Monday. The fire was contained by the plant’s firefighting team with no danger to the public, BASF said.

“In today's incident in the southern part of the BASF SE plant in Ludwigshafen, an organic solvent leaked out, causing an explosion and a subsequent fire,” a company press release stated. “There was no contamination of the air, water, or soil. BASF's environmental measurement vehicles were on the move inside and outside the plant premises and were unable to detect any product deposits.”

All those injured were examined at BASF’s medical center and allowed to leave. Nearby residents were initially told to keep doors and windows shut before city authorities declared the western section of the city safe.

Environmental monitoring within the site and in neighboring areas detected slightly elevated hydrocarbon levels, according to reports. 

“The plant has been shut down and is in a safe condition,” BASF said. The company did not indicate if production at the facility would be affected. The fire occurred in the southern part of the site; 39,000 people work at the complex. 

Video from Kanal13 showed a plume of black smoke billowing over the facility and indicated the blast was followed by “strong fire.”

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The plant — the largest chemicals complex in the world — experienced a deadly explosion in 2016 that killed five. In that incident, a worker was charged with mistakenly cutting a pipe filled with a butane gas mixture, ICIS reported. 

The root cause of Monday’s fire remains under investigation.