Fire department responds to feed mill fire

By Cory Smith | news@campcountynow.com

Firefighters worked through much of the morning and into the early afternoon last Tuesday to extinguish a fire that started in a grain silo at the Pilgrim’s Pride/JBS feed mill on Texas Street. 
Although the official cause of the fire has yet to be determined, Pittsburg Fire Department Chief David Abernathy said the suspected cause of the fire is from molten slag that fell into the silo when a cutting torch was used by workers on that Monday to do some work on the silo.
Firefighters encountered several challenges. Personnel had to climb to the top of the approximately 70-foot silo and hoist all hoses and equipment up with ropes.  There were limited access openings in the inclined metal top. As a result, two types of special nozzles were used to apply water across the fire perimeter. 
Another unique nozzle was incorporated to flow enough water to extinguish the center of the fire which was very intense and extended deep into the corn. 
Firefighting foam, which the PFD was instrumental in helping create in the 1980s, was the key factor in extinguishing this type of fire.  
In addition, a thermal imaging camera was used to locate hot spots and to determine that the fire had not spread to other silos or auger conveyers. Firefighters were on the scene for about four- and-a-half hours. 
Abernathy said there were no injuries and a plan was in place if the department needed to respond to another fire call while at the feed mill fire scene.
“There were no injuries. Thunderbird Point and Tri-Lakes Volunteer Fire Departments were called in to assist,” Abernathy reported. “PFD had a contingency plan in the event another fire occurred while on this one. This plan was implemented for a wildfire in the Center Point Community. The Texas A&M Forest Service also had to take action on that fire. PFD responded to two additional wildfires later on Tuesday.”
In total, there are four silos at the feed mill that are connected by an underground auger, but the other three silos were never threatened by the fire due to quick action taken by the PFD.