The Meres warehouse went up in flames in October 2023, was found to be without fire prevention equipment in compliance with workplace safety regulations. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the responsibilities based on the technical assessments carried out by the firefighters of the provincial command of Avellino are to be attributed to the changes made to the shed roofing system which had modified the fire reaction characteristics of the materials and also involved the modification of the ventilation and active protection systems.
Changes that had not previously been subjected to a new evaluation by the prevention office of the Avellino fire brigade. Therefore, profiles of responsibility emerged, even though the fire was not of malicious origin. SL, in his capacity as managing director of Meres, SR, director of the plant, SE, responsible for prevention and protection services, and SC, director of works, were registered in the register of suspects.
The public prosecution accuses the four suspects of negligence, imprudence and incompetence as well as violation of the law regarding safety in the workplace. Circumstances that would have contributed to causing a fire of vast proportions in the Pianodardine factory, which also caused particular concern due to the repercussions on the environment. Furthermore, the spread of the flames in the external square and inside one of the factory’s warehouses is contested.
Thanks to the investigative acquisitions, the state of the investigations, gThe investigators can confirm that the roof of the shed had been covered in panels with polyurethane material inside, without the installation of 18 smoke and heat evacuators with automatic opening in case of temperatures above sixty-eight degrees, devices that fall within the active fire protection measures whose implementation would have prevented the spread of the fire. From the investigations it emerged that during the execution of the works a change in the type of roofing had been envisaged, from the original solution to that of sandwich panels with a row of polycarbonate panels. Furthermore, the start-up of the industrial activity inside the warehouse had taken place without having submitted the notification (Scia) for fire safety purposes, or in the absence of the necessary fire prevention certificate and the necessary checks aimed at ensuring compliance with the requirements established by fire prevention regulations.
The preventive seizure measure of an industrial warehouse of the Meres plant was notified by the staff of the Flying Squad of the Avellino Police Headquarters, upon order of the investigating judge. With the act notified yesterday, the initial evidentiary seizure was converted into the evidentiary seizure – ordered following the fire that occurred on 19 October 2023 – into a preventive one. Material of great value went up in flames, including latest generation technologies and tools, as well as two trucks full of processing waste that were in the square in front of the structure.
The company affected by the massive fire was involved in the production and transformation of flexible polyurethane foams, mainly intended for the furniture, rest systems and automotive sectors, with specific characteristics in terms of load-bearing capacity, comfort and reaction to sources heat. The detailed report of the red helmet guard officer is particularly important for the purpose of the investigation. The shutdown times were particularly long due to the damage reported to the load-bearing structures of the warehouse affected by the flames. Therefore the operations to put out the fire were complex and delicate.
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