Date: March 18, 2021
Location: Visalia, California (USA)
Address: 1111 North Miller Park Court, 93291
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Ground-Up Pet Food
Industry: Pet Food Production (Food Processing)
Equipment: Dog Food Production Equipment
Company: Perfection Pet Foods
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: $200,000 USD
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its website, Perfection Pet Foods is a dog and cat food production facility in Visalia, California. The company was founded in 2011 and employs approximately 52 people. Products manufactured include meat kibble, fresh meat injection, liquid and dry flavor applications, multi-colored / multi-shaped kibble, varying moisture components, oven baked recipes, limited ingredient diet (LID) formulas and organic formulas.
Incident Description:
On March 18, 2021, the Visalia Times-Delta reported a fire at a local pet food manufacturer in Visalia, California.
When firefighters arrived, they were told that a fire ignited in a large piece of motorized dog food production equipment. It occurred because the equipment was left operating by employees when the grinding process was completed.
Fire crews extinguished the fire from the inside and also from the roof. There was a large amount of clean-up afterward due to the built-up ground dog food stuck inside the exhaust ducting to the equipment.
All employees were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported. Damage came to an estimated $200,000 USD.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up two OSHA inspections dated May 19, 2017 and April 22, 2020 but neither was flagged for combustible dust.
Sources:
Visalia Times-Delta
