Fire Threatens New Surgical Mask Factory in France

A 1,000-square-meter warehouse burned Monday morning near a recently completed surgical mask factory slated to begin production this week in a northwestern France.

First reported at 9:30 a.m., the fire in Blanc-Mesnil was extinguished before noon without damaging the factory itself, city officials told Quest France.

The Chinese-owned factory, built in only a few weeks to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, had its official grand opening Thursday.

The warehouse, owned by another company, is used to store textiles and office furniture.