A fire that broke out during the early hours of this Saturday at the Port of Bilbao has caused significant material damage to the facilities of PreZero, a company dedicated to waste management and recycling. The fire originated at the AZ1 dock and has mobilized about a dozen fire-fighting crews, which have managed to control the flames, although they have had to continue working to complete the extinguishing.
The alert was received around 04:30 hours, when the company itself notified the emergency services. To date, no injuries have been reported. The Port Authority has also specified that the affected facilities contain no hazardous goods.
Although the fire generated a large column of smoke visible from different points in the port area, no measurements have been released that would allow its composition to be determined or any possible inhalation risk to be established. The causes of the fire are still unknown and will have to be investigated.
What burned at the Port of Bilbao
The fire occurred at the PreZero facilities located at the AZ1 dock, within the Port of Bilbao premises. The company carries out activities related to waste management and treatment, so the fire affected a plant associated with recycling.
Some reports suggest that the fire affected stored plastic waste in the area. However, the official communication from the Port Authority has not detailed the type or quantity of material that burned. For now, the confirmed assessment is limited to the significant material damage recorded at the facilities.
The location of the fire has drawn attention because it is an industrial environment in which different companies operate. However, the Port Authority has clarified that the facilities directly affected did not store hazardous goods. It has not been confirmed that the fire reached other companies in the premises.
A dozen fire-fighting crews have taken part in the extinguishing
Emergency services mobilized around ten fire-fighting crews to combat the flames from the first hours of the early morning. The teams managed to control the fire during the morning, although the tasks continued throughout the rest of the day to extinguish any hotspots that might remain active.
The fact that the fire is under control does not necessarily mean that the operation has ended: personnel must check that there are no hot spots left and no risk of the flames rekindling.
The Port Authority has confirmed that there are no injuries to report. It has also not, for the time being, communicated a definitive economic assessment of the damage.
Are there consequences for port operations?
For now, no general interruptions to activity at the Port of Bilbao have been reported, nor any specific impacts on maritime traffic as a result of the fire. Damage to port infrastructure outside the facilities of PreZero has also not been reported.
The main confirmed consequence, therefore, is the material damage at the recycling plant. To determine the real scope of the incident, it will be necessary to wait for the firefighting work to end and for access to the facilities to evaluate their condition.
What is known about the smoke and possible hazardous substances
The column of smoke generated by the fire has been visible from different points in the port area and has raised concerns about the industrial activity in the surrounding area. However, it is important to distinguish between the presence of smoke and the existence of a confirmed chemical risk.
The Port Authority has indicated that the affected facilities did not contain hazardous goods. To date, environmental measurement results have also not been published that would make it possible to attribute specific toxicity to the smoke or to establish a specific health recommendation.
Therefore, it cannot be stated that the smoky haze contains toxic substances, nor can its presence be ruled out without measurement data. The composition of the smoke will depend, among other factors, on the materials that burned and on the combustion conditions.
The causes of the fire and the final scope of the material damage are still pending clarification.