Date: July 20, 2021
Location: Fargo, North Dakota (USA)
Address: 501 42nd Street NW, 58102
Type: Potential Dust Fire
Fuel: Grain Dust
Industry: Grain Processing (Agriculture)
Equipment: Sunflower Roasting Oven
Company: Red River Commodities
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: One Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its website, Red River Commodities is a grain and seed products producer with facilities in Fargo and Horace, North Dakota, Lubbock, Texas, Colby, Kansas, and Etten-Leur, the Netherlands. These facilities process, roast, and package food for leading food manufacturers. Among the company’s retail-ready products are SunButter sunflower seed butter and wildlife food.
Incident Description:
On July 24, 2021, KVRR reported a fire at a grain and seed products producer in Fargo, North Dakota.
Fargo firefighters arrived soon after receiving a call at 5:15 p.m. Upon arriving at the scene, crews discovered smoke coming from behind a large garage door.
Employees reported that a fire had started in a sunflower roasting oven. It was mostly extinguished by the fire suppression system and the portable fire extinguishers used by workers. Flames did not spread beyond the equipment.
A number of employees were treated for smoke inhalation. One person was transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up two OSHA inspections for this location, but they were not flagged for combustible dust.
