On Oct. 24, the largest industrial plant in the world, the Quaker Oats Plant, owned by Quaker Oats and its parent company, PepsiCo, went up in flames. This is the first fire at the plant since the June 7 fire in 2018, according to the corridor business journal. The damage was extensive with the entire 5th floor of the building being destroyed and leaving the 4th floor structurally compromised. According to Cedar Rapids Fire Fighting Battalion Chief Brooks Burkhart, “The fire building, five-story block and brick structure holding 17 silo bins that run from the basement to the 5th floor more than that it is connected to an 11-story building to the south. The report also states that the fire left a large debris and soot field to the northeast and that the damage was severe enough that no firefighters or staff at the plant were allowed in.” The firefighter response teams themselves were the first on the scene trying to put out the fire by 4:44 p.m., with other safety officials following quickly after.
Cedar Rapids Safety Official Michael Batten said, “The Cedar Rapids Fire Department was notified at the same time as the Cedar Rapids Police Department: 4:44 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. The first call came into the Joint Communications Agency Dispatch Center, where it was routed to the needed units for response.
“Notification was made to the public safety communications specialist, me, at approximately 5:05 p.m., stating there was an incident at the site and that my presence was needed.”
The firefighters remained on the scene until the morning, making sure to clean up any debris or ash they could find before leaving. The building management back to the Quaker Oats management has yet to set a timeline for production to resume at the plant as they continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
“At this point, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Cedar Rapids Fire investigators are assisting other inspectors from a variety of involved parties with connections to the facility and its many systems,” said Batten.
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