French mining giant Eramet has announced a formal investigation into a fire that broke out on Sunday at its Grande Côte mineral sands extraction site in Diogo.
The blaze occurred at approximately 2 p.m. at the Wet Concentration Plant (WCP), a critical separation unit located on a floating barge along Senegal’s northwest coast.
While videos on social media depicted massive plumes of black smoke rising from the facility, Eramet Grande Côte confirmed in an official statement that no casualties were reported. The plant was immediately evacuated, and a security perimeter was established to protect the workforce and surrounding communities.
The fire was successfully contained and extinguished through a collaborative effort between the company’s internal Emergency Response Team (ERT) and regional fire services from Kebemer, Gueoul, Louga, and Saint-Louis. Specialized teams remain on-site to monitor and cool the strategic infrastructure, which is vital for the processing of zircon, ilmenite, rutile, and leucoxene.
The WCP serves as the heart of the site’s industrial operations, performing the wet separation of minerals prior to export. Eramet stated it is now assessing the fire’s impact on production timelines and is committed to managing the aftermath with “responsibility and transparency.” Local administrative authorities were notified immediately, and the pending investigation will look to identify the technical cause of the ignition on the barge.
DM/ac/fss/abj/APA