According to journalists, about 2.5 billion euro and African franc banknotes are printed annually in this printing house.
On Wednesday, February 9, the printing house of the Bank of France caught fire in the city of Chamalieres. 34 people were injured, 10 of them were hospitalized. This is reported France info.
According to the newspaper, the fire started in the printing laboratory at about 10:30 am local time (11:30 Kyiv time). The flames engulfed the roof of the building. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. The alarm was raised by 70 firefighters, who were able to localize the fire in about an hour and a half.
According to the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dome region, where Chamalier is located, 34 people were slightly injured due to the fire, 10 of them (including 2 firefighters) were hospitalized in the Chamalier University Hospital. 387 employees of the printing house were evacuated. Authorities also said the fire did not touch the explosive chemicals used in the print shop. Whether the printed money was damaged by the fire is unknown.
Spectacle #incendie A la Banque de France #chamalieres ➡️https://t.co/GCSLWktCgi pic.twitter.com/kAJRBzOXHM
— France 3 Auvergne (@F3Auvergne) February 9, 2022
The complete elimination of the fire is also not reported, however, rescuers assure that any risk of the fire spreading to other buildings in the city is excluded.
According to local journalists, the printing house in Chamalier prints euro banknotes (about half of all production), as well as the CFA franc (Financial Commonwealth of Africa). This currency is in circulation in 14 former French colonies in Central and West Africa.
