Date: August 20, 2022
Location: Stuttgart, Arkansas (USA)
Address: 420 East Cleveland Street, 72160
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Grain Dust
Industry: Rice Milling (Food Products)
Equipment: Grain Dryer
Company: Riceland Foods Inc.
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its company page, Riceland Foods Inc. was established in 1921 and is one of the largest miller and marketer of rice in the world. Headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas, it consists of over 9,000 farmer-members in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Each year, Riceland Foods Inc. receives, stores, transports, processes and markets more than 125 million bushels of grain, equivalent to roughly 25 percent of the total United States crop.
Incident Description:
On August 31, 2022, the Stuttgart Daily Leader reported a grain dryer fire at a rice parboil plant in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
Firefighters were first dispatched to the plant at 11:14 a.m. and found grain dust burning on the exterior of the machinery. Using a man lift, employees assisted crews in extinguishing exterior fires. The dryer was slowly emptied to save the unburnt grain. As the signs of fire diminished, the plant supervisor stated that the fire department was no longer required and the firefighters returned to their jobs.
At 6:55 p.m., firefighters responded to another dryer fire confirmed at the plant. They established a water supply and hoisted hoses to the catwalk below the fire floor. A mass of grain had fallen against the access door and compacted. With the fire growing inside the building, crews used an elevated waterway and their engine’s master stream device to take a defensive attack. As soon as the building was significantly cooled, the crew returned to offensive attacks using handlines.
No injuries were reported.
Sources:
Stuttgart Daily Leader
