Devastating Fire Completely Destroyed Pendleton Flour Mills

[schwartzie]

A Devastating Fire Completely Destroyed the Pendleton Flour Mills in Oregon

By Jim Hoft

Published August 11, 2022 at 9:57am


A fire completely destroyed a building at Pendleton Flour Mills in Eastern Oregon on Wednesday.



Officials said that a small fire that started on Tuesday afternoon and reignited early Wednesday morning caused the Pendleton Flour Mills to go up in flames.



“Yesterday, August 9th at 2:55 p.m., City County Dispatch received a report of black smoke coming from the Pendleton Flour Mills with no visible flames,” said Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram. “The Pendleton Fire Department responded and extinguished the small fire however remained on scene conducting “fire watch.””



“The fire subsequently reignited at approximately 4:00 this morning [Wednesday] at which time it was fully engulfed due to dry grain, as well the wood structure within,” Byram added.



At 9:30 a.m., firefighters were still working the blaze from every direction, and a drone was flying overhead checking for additional hot spots.



There are no more buildings at risk, according to the Pendleton Fire Department, which is being helped by eight other agencies.



“Although the building is a total loss, this will be an ongoing emergent situation due to the amount of grain that is slow burning. There have not been any reported injuries,” Byram said.



People were encouraged to stay out of the area for their own safety, as well as the safety of firemen working diligently to stop the fire.


At 10:55 a.m., it appears that the flames have been extinguished, but firefighters are still on the site focusing on the remaining hot spots.



According to Chief Byram at 2:21 p.m., it seems that the fire crew is keeping the structure fire under control and will continue to monitor throughout the night for any hot spots



Grain Craft, which owns the Pendleton Flour Mills, bills itself as the country’s largest independent flour milling enterprise, according to its website.




More at link

[J.J.Gibbs]

Posting for additional information. A bread factory in Sydney, Australia also burned down. Coincidence?


Fire destroys Oregon flour mill, huge fire tears through Sydney bread factory on the same day

Christen McCurdy

Oregon Business

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 21:51 UTC


A flour mill in Pendleton burst into flames Wednesday morning. Officials say the building is a total loss.

Photo courtesy of Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal A flour mill in Pendleton burst into flames Wednesday morning. Officials say the building is a total loss.

A flour mill in Pendleton burst into flames Wednesday morning. Officials say the building is a total loss.



Tennessee-based Grain Craft, which owns the mill, says it's working with farmers to handle wheat supply



The Grain Craft flour mill in Pendleton was destroyed in a fire that erupted Wednesday morning.



As of 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning, firefighters from Pendleton Fire and Ambulance were still on the scene of the fire and several blocks near the mill were closed to through traffic, according to Facebook updates from the Pendleton Police Department.



A press release issued by the city Thursday says firefighters "are going to have more long days ahead of them before this incident is over" due to "the size of the building, the material inside, and the lack of safe access."



The East Oregonian reports that the building burst into flames at about 4:30 a.m., though at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday firefighters responded to a plume of white smoke at the mill.



No injuries have been reported at the facility, which employs 22 people.



Pendleton assistant fire chief Tony Pierotti told The East Oregonian that the mill's silos were full of finished grain, so the fire fuel load was extreme. Pendleton police chief Chuck Byram told The Capital Press the fire was caused by mechanical failure.

Comment: Which means that these full silos of grain have been lost, amidst global grain shortages, and amidst looming catastrophic food shortages.

Authorities are describing the building as a total loss and as of Thursday were keeping the area clear in anticipation of the possible collapse of the building.



A spokesperson for Grain Craft told The Capital Press the company is working with farmers to handle supply following the fire, which came in the middle of the wheat harvest.



Jeremy Bunch, CEO of Shepherd's Grain, a farmer-owned flour company, said there would be an interruption in flour supply as the company works to get wheat staged for movement to another mill.



"We are heartbroken by the fire that erupted at the Grain Craft flour mill in Pendleton," said a statement from Oregon Wheat Growers League President Ben Maney Wednesday. "These silos are a reflection of many years of hard work, time, and dedication from not only our wheat producers and their families, but also the team at Grain Craft Flour."



"The Pendleton flour mill began operation more than 100 years ago, and it was not only an important component in of providing our customers flour, but it was also a significant piece of history for the city of Pendleton and for the milling industry," said a press release issued by Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Grain Craft and shared by police Thursday. "All of us at Grain Craft are heartbroken by the events of yesterday."



Grain Craft is the third largest flour miller in the United States. The company was acquired by Redwood Capital Investments at the end of June. Oregon is the 11th largest U.S. producer of wheat, which is the state's third largest cash crop, according to the Oregon Wheat Growers League. As much as 90% of wheat produced in Oregon is shipped to overseas markets, primarily in Asia.

Comment: On the same day a huge fire was reported at a bread factory over in Sydney, Australia:

Screen shot of the video linked above.

These fires are notable because there has still been a significant and suspicious uptick in fires at food processing plants in the last year, particularly in the US; however, regarding those detailed above, it remains to be seen whether they're related. This also comes amidst an international coordinated attack on farmers.

link