Little information exists following the fire in Tekni-Plex Gallazzi’s (www.tekniplex-gallazzi.com) plant in the northern Italian city of Gallarate – see Plasteurope.com of 25.03.2020. US company Tekni-Plex (Wayne, Pennsylvania; www.tekni-plex.com) has since confirmed the fire, and a spokesperson told Plasteurope.com only that the damage was still being assessed.

According to the local fire department, the fire was evidently limited to the company’s production area, with its neighbouring warehouse unaffected. A drone video from local newspaper Varese News on Youtube shows thick clouds of smoke over the surrounding area.

Tekni-Plex said the fire has not impacted production in Tradate, a few kilometres away. There, PVC films are calendered for the pharmaceutical, medical technology and hygiene products sectors that are important in fighting the spread of the coronavirus. The damaged facility in Gallarate produces PVC films for adhesive tapes.

The fire broke out on a calender line during maintenance work. There were no injuries.