Explosion and Fire Hit the World's Largest Oat Mill in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; All Workers Evacuated Safely, No Injuries
An explosion and fire struck a Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at around 4:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, October 24, sending heavy smoke and flames from the north side of the facility as firefighters rushed to the scene. All workers on site were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported.
According to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department, the blaze was sparked by an explosion inside the building. In a release posted on social media, the department said firefighting operations had extinguished most of the fire, though "limited operations addressing final efforts and overhaul in the interior of the building" were still under way as of 6:25 p.m. local time. The fire broke out in an area of the plant that handles products, which Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell said on social media is "not heavily populated with employees and team members," adding: "Which of course in this case was a blessing." It remains unclear how many workers were inside when the blaze erupted, and the cause of the fire and explosion was unknown as of Saturday night. No firefighters were injured.
Local resident Dan Gardner told KCRG television he felt "terror, sadness [and] worry" at the sight of the smoke plumes, saying: "Quaker Oats is a staple of this town. So we don't want to see them blow up." According to the company's website, the plant is the largest milling facility in the world, processing more than 2 million pounds of oats each day. The Quaker Oats Company, owned by PepsiCo, is best known for its old-fashioned oats.
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 爱荷华州锡达拉皮兹市桂格燕麦厂厂区。图片：Crcjfly，CC BY-SA 3.0，取自维基共享资源。
