Massive Fire at CometSambre Near Mons Contained Overnight
A major industrial fire broke out Monday evening at the CometSambre metal recycling facility in Obourg, near Mons, Belgium, involving approximately 400 tonnes of shredded vehicle carcasses. The blaze was brought under control by midnight and declared fully extinguished by 5:00 AM on Tuesday, June 9, after a large-scale firefighting operation. No serious injuries were reported, though two Comet employees were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation as a precaution.
Fire and Emergency Response
The fire was detected at approximately 20:45 local time on Monday, June 8, by CometSambre’s internal surveillance camera system. According to RTBF, the flames spread rapidly within four minutes, prompting the site’s internal emergency team to call for external firefighting resources.
Nearly 60 firefighters were mobilized at the peak of the operation from five fire stations — Mons, Saint-Ghislain, and La Louvière — along with Civil Protection units from Crisnée who were called in to pump water from the nearby canal. Equipment deployed included three pumpers, four tanker trucks, two aerial vehicles, two ladder tankers, and a drone unit equipped with thermal imaging.
Captain Benoit Filippi of the Zone de secours Hainaut Centre explained the strategic approach: “Our special drone unit with thermal imaging helped target the areas for extinguishing, and our hazardous substances advisor took measurements outside the site, downwind of the villages that were potentially impacted.”
He added: “Everything we wanted to protect was protected. We were really afraid of extension toward the conveyor belts that transport material to the shredders. Two buildings were also threatened, so we put everything into preventing that from spreading, and we succeeded!”
Public Safety Measures
Authorities sent BE-Alert messages around 22:00 instructing residents across the region to close doors and windows and shut off ventilation systems. Acting Mayor of Mons, Argyro Gyparakis, confirmed the precautionary measures would remain in effect overnight, noting that as the fire decreased in intensity, smoke closer to the ground multiplied the impact in surrounding streets. The confinement was lifted at 7:15 AM on Tuesday.
Preliminary smoke measurements did not detect toxic substances in large quantities, according to RTL Info, though soot deposition remains a concern. The environmental police were expected on site to manage extinguishing water, which was collected in a dedicated basin.
Suspected Cause: Lithium Battery
Fire officials and company representatives pointed to a familiar culprit. Bruno Vercaemer, an officer with the Hainaut Centre fire zone, stated: “It seems the fire was once again caused by a lithium battery. In piles of metal, that’s unforgiving, and unfortunately we have to come here several times a year, even if yesterday’s fire was particularly significant.”
Cédric Slegers, Site Manager at CometSambre, emphasized the ubiquity of the problem: “In our headphones, our smartphones, our earbuds… Lithium batteries are everywhere. Clearly, people need to feel responsible and stop throwing them away or leaving them in containers other than dedicated Recupel bins.”
Heavy rainfall in the days preceding the fire was cited as an aggravating factor, as moisture increases the risk of lithium battery ignition.
A Recurring Problem
This is not the first fire at the CometSambre Obourg site. A similar incident occurred in December 2024, also attributed to a lithium-ion battery, and another significant fire was reported in 2022. The site was also the subject of a 2024 RTBF investigation revealing PCB pollution concerns.
The Comet Group issued a statement calling for regulatory action: “Without concrete and binding measures, such incidents will inevitably recur. Everyone is reminded of the importance of never throwing lithium batteries away with household waste or metals, but depositing them in dedicated collection points.”
As reported by DHnet, the City of Mons has also called on CometSambre and the relevant Walloon minister for the environment to obtain further explanations and implement lasting measures across the waste sector.
What’s Next
All processing equipment at the site was preserved, suggesting minimal business interruption. A drone from the Soignies fire station continues to provide surveillance. The broader question of lithium battery disposal and recycling facility safety remains unresolved, with the Comet Group and local authorities calling for stricter regulations and improved public awareness to prevent future incidents.