An explosion and subsequent fire occurred at a Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. All workers were evacuated from the building and accounted for, and there were no deaths or injuries in the incident, the city's fire department reported. Quaker Oats is a division of PepsiCo.
The fire alarm was raised at 4:44 p.m. local time on Saturday, October 24. The fire broke out in the back of the complex, in an area connected to the main building. Upon arrival, firefighters found signs of an explosion, local television station KCRG reported.
The fire was brought under control around 6:15 p.m., but crews remained on scene to check for hot spots and complete the interior of the building. Black smoke billowed over the downtown area, footage from the scene showed.
Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said the fire had hit a produce processing area that was not among the busiest parts of the complex. “All workers were safely evacuated and accounted for,” she said.
The cause of the explosion and fire has not yet been determined. PepsiCo Foods US said fire crews were on scene and the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
The Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids is considered the world's largest grain mill. It processes more than 2 million pounds of oats a day, or about 900,000 kilograms. There is currently no announced deadline for the completion of the investigation or information on when the proceedings will resume.
Sources: apnews.com, kcrg.com