The Oregon State Fire Marshal has completed their investigation on thefire that erupted at the Grain Craft Flour Millin Pendleton, OR, which began August 9 and continues to smolder.
On itsFacebook page, Pendleton Fire Chief Jim Critchley wrote the fire marshal has classified the fire as 'undetermined, accidental in nature.'
"Over the past eight weeks, the Pendleton Fire Department has been aware of the impact this fire has had on the community, and we are sorry we have not been able to extinguish the smoldering," noted Critchley.
"PFD has been in contact with the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Quality and Grain Craft about the plans going forward. We are looking forward to assisting in any way we can."
Fire began as a failure in a sifter’s filter
In August, Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram, the designated public information officer for the fire, noted theflour mill initially caught fireon Tuesday, August 9, when there was failure in a sifter’s filter.
The fire reignited Wednesday, August 10, around 4 a.m. when no one was in the building.
According to a press release, the building became engulfed when dry grain and wood inside the building caught fire.
Storage silos were filled with wheat, making the fire more difficult to extinguish, said fire officials.
According toreports, the flames shot out of the mill sending debris throughout the town, causing one of the buildings to be a complete loss.
Grain Craft, Chattanooga, TN, provides premium bulk and bagged flours through13 milling locations across the U.S．今年6月,该公司宣布,它已经acquired by Baltimore-based Redwood Capital Investments．
