Date: December 29, 2018
Location: Centralia, Illinois (USA)
Address: 100 Calumet Street, 62801
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Cocoa Dust
Industry: Cake-Mix Production (Food Processing)
Equipment: Exhaust Fan
Company: Conagra Brands
Database Incidents: None Reported
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Conagra Brands is a packaged foods company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1919 and produces and sells food products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, and food service establishments. These brands include Duncan Hines, Hunt’s, and Earth Balance.
Incident Description:
On December 29, 2018, the Belleville News-Democrat reported a fire at a cake mix facility in Centralia, Illinois.
Arriving firefighters found several small fires and a lot of smoke, which took approximately two and a half hours to clear out.
According to the Centralia fire captain, the source of the fires was an exhaust fan that shorted out, sending sparks showering onto rafters and other surfaces covered with cocoa residue. These fires, he said, “can be nasty.”
No injuries were reported. The building was not seriously damaged and was expected to resume operations after some clean-up.
Sources:
Belleville News-Democrat