COLMAR-BERG, Luxembourg — A "large-scale" fire struck Goodyear's tire plant in Colmar-Berg on Jan. 20, sending 11 people to the hospital, according to local fire authorities.
The fire broke out shortly before 2 p.m. on Jan. 20 and was extinguished by late afternoon, the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps said in a prepared statement.
It's uncertain at this point when the 74-year-old factory — which makes truck and off-road tires — will be back on stream.
According to the fire department, the incident impacted two production machines used "to transform raw materials in the manufacture of tires" and also spread to an adjacent filtering installation.
As many as 23 employees potentially had inhaled smoke during the evacuation, the fire department added. Of those, 11 were transferred to three hospitals for more in-depth checks.
In a written statement to European Rubber Journal, a Goodyear spokesperson confirmed that a fire had broken out on Jan. 20 in the mixing area of the Luxembourg tire plant.
"All associates from endangered areas have been evacuated, and 12 associates have been taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation," the spokesperson said.
"The fire has now been successfully extinguished," continued Goodyear, adding that it was now working with authorities to "determine the cause of the fire, estimate losses and remove its effects.
"In parallel, we are assessing the prospects for restoring work [and] will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available in the coming days."
The factory, one of two Goodyear operates in Luxembourg, employs 1,400. The other, in Dudelange, opened in May 2022 using a proprietary, small-batch manufacturing process that it claims can turn out tires four times faster than conventional production methods.