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| French factory fire could pollute Seine river, officials warn | French factory fire could pollute Seine river, officials warn |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A fire at a chemical factory in the northern French city of Rouen threatens to pollute the River Seine, local officials have warned. | A fire at a chemical factory in the northern French city of Rouen threatens to pollute the River Seine, local officials have warned. |
| Schools in the area were closed and residents advised to remain inside as 200 firefighters, with 60 fire vehicles, tried to put out the blaze. | Schools in the area were closed and residents advised to remain inside as 200 firefighters, with 60 fire vehicles, tried to put out the blaze. |
| Thick clouds of black smoke billowed from the fire, though officials said tests showed the smoke was not toxic. | Thick clouds of black smoke billowed from the fire, though officials said tests showed the smoke was not toxic. |
| No-one was injured, and the cause of the blaze was not immediately clear. | |
| The fire broke out at a storage facility owned by Lubrizol, a US specialty chemical manufacturer owned by the billionaire investor Warren Buffett. | The fire broke out at a storage facility owned by Lubrizol, a US specialty chemical manufacturer owned by the billionaire investor Warren Buffett. |
| "We're still fighting the blaze, with the risk that pollution could spill into the Seine," Pierre-André Durand, the prefect of Normandy, told reporters. | "We're still fighting the blaze, with the risk that pollution could spill into the Seine," Pierre-André Durand, the prefect of Normandy, told reporters. |
| Officials said firefighters were attempting to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the factory. | Officials said firefighters were attempting to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the factory. |
| The Seine is one of France's biggest rivers. From Rouen, the river flows through Paris to the south and connects to the English Channel in the north. | The Seine is one of France's biggest rivers. From Rouen, the river flows through Paris to the south and connects to the English Channel in the north. |
| The factory made the headlines in 2013 when a gas leak at the site spread a foul-smelling gas as far as Paris and parts of southern England. | The factory made the headlines in 2013 when a gas leak at the site spread a foul-smelling gas as far as Paris and parts of southern England. |
| And in 2015, the site leaked 2,000 litres (440 gallons) of mineral oil into the sewer system of Rouen - a city of about 100,000 people. | And in 2015, the site leaked 2,000 litres (440 gallons) of mineral oil into the sewer system of Rouen - a city of about 100,000 people. |