November 1st 1986; a catastrophic fire at a chemicals factory near Basel, Switzerland, sends tons of toxic chemicals into the nearby river Rhine and turning it red. The fire broke out early in the morning in a storage building used for pesticides, mercury and other highly poisonous agricultural chemicals. Local residents were woken by sirens sounded by local authorities to alert them to the disaster.

People in the city of Basel and the surrounding region on the border between Germany and France were told to stay indoors. Witnesses reported a foul smell of rotten eggs and burning rubber. Fourteen people, including one of the firemen fighting the blaze, were treated in hospital after inhaling the fumes.