Pellet Pile Blaze at EGF American Crystal Plant Takes 3 Hours to Extinguish

EAST GRAND FORKS (WDAZ-TV) - Firefighters spent three hours Tuesday morning putting out a fire at the American Crystal Sugar plant in East Grand Forks.

They were called to the beet plant at 11 a.m. when smoke was reported coming from a pellet storage warehouse. Because of the amount of smoke and poor visibility, firefighters used thermal imaging to locate the fire.

They discovered the source of smoke was coming from a 30-foot high pile of pellets, which are byproducts used for animal feed.

Water and foam were used to extinguish the smoldering pellets. The fire department did not yet have an estimate on the damage but they say it likely started from heat during the processing of the pellets.

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