East 1st Street Evacuated Due To Fire At Southeastern Mills
A fire in a silo at Southeastern Mills evacuated the area around the grain mill Tuesday morning.
Firefighters responded to the scene and found a fire in silo 6 in the rear of the facility. According to fire officials, the fire was smoldering in the silo and was getting so hot that the paint on top of the silo was peeling.
Officials closed off the vents to the structure and covered them with welding blankets to cut off oxygen and smother the fire.
There was initial concern that the silo could explode if the fire egnighted the flour dust in the silo. According to employees, luckily the silo was almost full which reduced the amount of dust, lessening the fear of explosion.
Maintenance at the facility told RomeNewswire that if the dust did ignite, the explosion would surely be a large one.
Southeastern Mills officials would not comment but one employee said this is the 2nd or 3rd time this has occured at the facility.
Company officials say the fire could smolder for days before it is completely out.
