Major fire at BRT: the public prosecutor’s office is investigating arson

The Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating last night’s major fire at Bovisa, one of BRT’s six main depots. A number of theories are being considered: arson has not been ruled out. However, the fire may also have started from a parcel weighing around 10 kilos that had been placed on the loading bay, ready to be transferred to a lorry bound for Turin.

As the logistics company employee testified, after 7 pm, he removed the 50 x 30 x 30-centimetre parcel from the conveyor belt; to the touch, it felt warm. But without paying it much attention, he placed it on the platform and turned to fetch another parcel. The moment he turned back towards the platform, he first saw smoke, then flames, and finally heard a loud noise – a bang. Now, Public Prosecutor Paolo Storari is seeking to locate what remains of the parcel so that it can be examined.

BRT had been placed under special administration in 2023 for tax evasion and the illegal use of labour through a system of bogus cooperatives. After about a year, it rectified its position and continues to liaise with the public prosecutor’s office to ensure compliance with ‘best practice’.

Meanwhile, a worker has given an account of the incident. “I was in the warehouse when I heard a large parcel fall from a conveyor belt; I turned round and saw a burst of flames.” This is how Sonny Salac, head warehouse manager at BRT in Milan, described those moments; a massive fire broke out there last night.

This detail would seem to confirm that the fire was accidental. “I immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher,” he told reporters, “and tried to put out the fire, but the flames were too high. So I called everyone and told them to get out quickly. It was my job to make sure nobody got hurt.” Salac, 35, originally from the Philippines, has been working at BRT since 2008 and coordinates the work of around fifty people, all of whom are employees of a co-operative.