Population of Flums SG out of danger 1500 degree hot mass eats its way through Flumroc factory building
Late on Thursday evening, a 1,500-degree mass ate its way through the Flumroc factory building in Flums SG. The authorities lifted the warning for potentially harmful gases after a few hours.
10.10.2025, 04:38
10.10.2025, 13:17
SDA
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- Late on Thursday evening, a hot mass of around 1,500 degrees Celsius spread through several floors of the Flumroc factory building in Flums SG.
- The authorities lifted a warning about potentially harmful gases after a few hours.
- No one was injured.
- The canton of St. Gallen announced via the Alertswiss warning service that there was no longer any danger to the population.
- The incident was caused by a technical fault at the company that produces rock wool.
No one was injured in the incident at Flumroc. The canton of St. Gallen announced on Friday night via the Alertswiss warning service that there was no longer any danger to the population. According to estimates by the cantonal police, the damage to property is likely to be in the millions.
A technical defect at the Flums-based company, which produces rock wool, caused an extremely hot mass to leak out, said a spokesperson for the St. Gallen cantonal police when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Shortly before 9.30 p.m. on Thursday, molten mass overflowed from a kiln for as yet unknown reasons, the cantonal police wrote in a press release. At the company, stones are melted down in the furnace and then fed through a drain into a machine for further processing.
The material, which was around 1,500 degrees hot, spilled onto the floor and the high temperatures caused it to eat its way down several storeys. This resulted in considerable smoke development, wrote the cantonal police. There was also the possibility of harmful gases escaping.
Fire investigators in the building
The authorities therefore triggered a siren alarm. They asked the population in Flums and Walenstadt to close doors and windows. Ventilation and air conditioning systems should also be switched off. The authorities gave the all-clear via Alertswiss before 01:30.
At this time, the fire department was still working to cool the leaking molten metal. According to the police, the extinguishing work proved difficult because the extinguishing water evaporated immediately due to the intense heat.
"The fire investigators have now been able to enter the affected building because the fire department was able to cool the molten metal sufficiently overnight," said a police spokesperson on Friday afternoon in response to an inquiry. A fire watch remains on site. The "extensive" fire investigation is now being handled by the Forensics Competence Center of the St. Gallen cantonal police.
