Five firefighters participated in extinguishing a fire at a plant in Hermidas Sado.

Firefighters have already repaired an ammonia leak registered during a fire that broke out this Saturday morning at a frozen cod plant in Hermidas Sado, in the municipality of Santiago do Casem (Setúbal), strengthened by civil protection.

Contacting the Lusa agency, a source from the Alentejo Litoral sub-regional emergency and civil defense department said that the ammonia leak at the plant of the Spanish company Maredeu in Hermidas Sado “has already been fixed” by a team of specialists from the Engineer Regiment from Lisbon.

The same source added that the fire is “still active in one of the sectors, but prevailing in another sector” of the plant.

A fire broke out at the Maredeus frozen cod factory in the Hermidas Sado light industry zone, municipality of Santiago do Casem, the alarm was registered at 9:04 am.

While fighting the fire, four firefighters were taken to the Litoral Alentejano hospital in Santiago do Casem “due to bad mood”.

“Due to the heat and exhaustion, another firefighter was on the scene,” the Alentejo Litoral subregional emergency and civil protection department added.

Speaking to Luza, Santiago do Casem’s deputy mayor, Albano Pereira, said late in the morning that the fire occurred “at a time when the factory was shut down and no one was inside.”

According to the official in charge of civil protection in the municipality, “it is likely that a short circuit caused the fire at the Maredus plant, which employs “about 300 people in total”.

At 18:30 there were a total of 46 vehicles and 118 firefighters from Alcacer do Sal, Aljustrel, Alvalade Sado, Beja, Castro Verde, Cercal do Alentejo, Ferreira do Alentejo, Grandola, Odemira, Ourique, Santiago do Casem, Santo André and Vila Nova de Milfontes, in addition to the GNR and the Sines and Algarve Port Authority Commands and the Lisbon Sappers Regiment.