Fire means pollution Polluting fires every day Emissions from fires have a serious impact on the environment. Not only are the combustion gases toxic at the site of the fire, but during a fire, very large quantities of particulates are also released into the environment. The particles consist among others of soot, tar, unburned materials, and inorganic debris. Fire experts from the Swedish Research and Testing Institute (SP) estimate the emission of unburnt hydrocarbons from fires to be of the same magnitude as the yearly pollution from the entire lorry traffic. Particle emissions in a fire are typically 20-400 times larger than if combustible materials are burnt under controlled conditions. Combustible materials mean more pollution in case of fire. In this fire two fire fighters were killed. Sandwich panel constructions with combustible foamed plastic cores had been used. Environmental disaster Inadequate fire safety can allow a small initial fire to develop into a disaster. When the Sandoz factory in Basel, Switzerland, caught fire, tonnes of hazardous chemicals washed into the Rhine. Many fish died. The contamination also affected the use of the river as a source for drinking water.  Cleaning up the Rhine after the fire at the Sandoz chemical plant.