Safety incident at tyre pyrolysis plant leaves worker injured

A worker suffered facial and hand burns after an explosion at a tyre pyrolysis facility in Vandžiogala, local emergency services reported on Sunday.

The Kaunas Fire and Rescue Department said firefighters were alerted at about 16:00 on Saturday to black smoke and a loud bang coming from a single-storey brick building on Park Street. Upon arrival, crews found roughly 100 square metres of masonry wall had collapsed, eight windows broken and two garage doors damaged. An adjacent two-storey administration building was untouched and no gas leak was detected.

The facility uses pyrolysis to burn tyres and produce fuel. The injured employee was taken to hospital for treatment.