At approximately 7:45 a.m. Friday, the WFS grain facility in New Richland, Minnesota experienced a small grain dust fire. No injuries were reported.
The fire was caused when the bottom of a 1,500-bushel hopper bin gave way causing grain to spill out and a dust cloud to form. It is believed that the steel of the hopper bottom fell against another metal object causing a spark that ignited the flames.
No employees or customers were in the vicinity when the fire occurred, however employees heard the noise, including the collapse of the equipment, from the office and then saw flames erupting from the bin. Emergency personnel were called immediately and employees evacuated the building.
Although flames erupted from the bin, there was no actual blaze and emergency personnel were only on the scene for approximately 30 minutes.
“In a situation such as this, our main concern is always the safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers, and communities,” states WFS CEO Todd Ludwig. “We were very fortunate today that no one was injured and that the fire did not cause more damage.”
There are no damage estimates at this time. The New Richland facility will be closed while the damage is assessed and cleaned up.
If a farmer wishes to deliver grain, they are advised to call before making the delivery.
WFS is a farmer-owned cooperative operating facilities throughout south central Minnesota and north central Iowa for more than 4,000 members. The cooperative is highly diversified with products and services in grain marketing and merchandising, crop production and seed, feed manufacturing, bulk energy products, and producer financing.
