Date: September 2, 2021
Location: Hennepin, Illinois (USA)
Address: 11953 Prairie Industrial Parkway, 61327
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Grain Dust
Industry: Ethanol Production
Equipment: Grain Dryer
Company: Marquis Energy
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its website, Marquis Energy is an ethanol production facility located in Hennepin, Illinois. It began as a 100 million gallon per year Fagen-ICM ethanol facility in 2008 and completed its expansion in 2015, making it the largest dry-mill ethanol facility in the United States, with a production capacity of about one millions gallons of fuel grade ethanol per day.
Incident Description:
On September 2, 2021, the Putnam County Record reported a fire at an ethanol production facility in Hennepin, Illinois.
Employees noticed smoke coming from a dryer at around 5:00 a.m. and called 911. When the Granville Fire Department arrived, it put out a call for mutual aid from other departments to keep the situation under control.
The fire was contained to a dryer duct. The company later stated it wasn’t sure how the fire started because it uses a steam drying process. A representative said it was possible there was a buildup of dust that collected in the duct and caught on fire.
The fire was out by 8:30 a.m., but multiple departments stayed on scene until about lunchtime to ensure all the ductwork was cooled. The ducts were subsequently cleaned out.
No injuries were reported.
