On the late afternoon of February 18, an accident occurred at one of the sections of the Semcorp factory on Jedlik Ányos Street in Debrecen: a metal joint in a pipeline ruptured, and the resulting steam triggered the automatic fire suppression systems that use water and foam.
A serious violation may have occurred at the factory, as Telex learned that the fire safety authority imposed the maximum possible fine on the plant. Following the incident, Semcorp was temporarily prohibited from continuing operations in the affected building. After a subsequent inspection, permission to resume activities was granted.
The regional government office was contacted regarding the incident. According to the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office, no environmental contamination occurred. The use of the equipment in the building was immediately prohibited on February 18, but it has since been repaired. Interestingly, their statement notes that the fire safety authority “prohibited technological operations in the building alongside imposing the maximum fine,” but after a new inspection, the factory section was allowed to restart.
The term “maximum fine” indicates that serious violations were identified after February 18, since minor fire safety violations typically result in fines of 1–2 million forints. It is likely that multiple violations occurred in the factory, which led to the maximum fine of 10 million forints.
