Date: September 12, 2018
Location: Numurkah, Victoria (Australia)
Address: 46 McDonald Street, 3636
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Canola Meal Dust
Industry: Oilseeds Processing (Food Processing)
Equipment: Silo
Company: GrainCorp
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, GrainCorp was established in 1916 and is now one of Australia’s leading grain exporters, thanks to its ownership of Eastern Australia’s largest integrated grain storage and transport network. In 2012, it created GrainCorp Oils, an edible oils business that produces a wide range of food and animal feed products, including specialist ingredients for infant nutrition. The company invested $125 million to create a processing hub in Victoria for refining and distributing oilseed products. The plant in Numurkah recently underwent a $50 million upgrade which has expanded its capacity and introduced a higher level of automation.
Incident Description:
On September 12, 2018, the Shepparton News reported a silo fire at an oilseeds processing plant in Numurkah, Australia.
A fire services operations officer stated that the smouldering fire was in a silo that contained canola meal, and emergency crews were still trying to determine whether any of the other three silos on the premises had fire activity in them. A hazardous materials crew was doing some atmospheric monitoring to confirm.
The fire services representative said that there was no risk to the public at the moment. He described the incident as a “very small fire” and added that the firefighters were working through the best way to extinguish it and remove the canola product from the silo.
The road was temporarily closed while the firefighters worked. There were no reported injuries.
Sources:
Shepparton News
