Sat Nov 07 2009
By JARED ORZOLEK
HICKSVILLE -- Firefighters from six Ohio and Indiana departments responded to the Hicksville Grain Co. on Tuesday as emergency response personnel feared dust inside a smoldering grain silo could ignite and explode.
No explosion or injuries occurred, but the height of the grain silo presented a challenge for firefighters as they worked to extinguish the blaze.
Crews were called to the 259 E. High St. location at 8:13 a.m. after the elevator reported elevated temperatures inside a pocket of wheat contained in the silo, according to Hicksville Fire Chief Doug Miller.
By 2 p.m., firefighters had sprayed foam-treated water inside the silo and extracted the grain with a vacuum system, controlling the situation.
"Anytime you get a grain bin or silo fire there is a risk for a dust explosion," Miller said. "The best part is when you have a safe outcome. Our main concern was the possibility of explosion. Nobody was hurt. That was our main goal and we accomplished that."
One challenge to fighting the fire was the height of the 119-foot high grain silo, which contained 2,500 bushels of wheat Tuesday -- far short of its capacity of 15,000 bushels.
The Defiance Fire Department's ladder truck was called to the scene and used to move fire hoses 92 feet into the air.
From there, firefighters used ropes to bring the hoses to the top of the silo and extinguish the fire with the help of specialized nozzles. Firefighters put close to 4,200 gallons of foam solution into the silo.
"I can't say enough about the outcome. The cooperation between agencies was fantastic," Miller said.
The fire chief explained that residents of a few homes in the area were asked to evacuate as crews began to fight the fire. He said firefighters sought to balance caution with the need not to over-react to the situation.
"We felt we had it under control at all times," Miller said.
Elevated temperatures occurring inside grain silos is a natural occurrence as temperatures warm from the winter to the summer months, said Steve Queen, safety coordinator for Hicksville Grain. However, he said temperature gauges inside the elevator alerted company officials to the fire.
"We knew we had a warm spot in there. It was smoldering, so we called in the fire department," Queen said. "The firefighters did a fantastic job. Our hats are off to them."
Also responding to the scene were the Edgerton and Sherwood fire departments and Spencerville, Woodburn and Northeast fire departments from Indiana.
The Antwerp Fire Department manned the Hicksville station while firefighters were on the scene.
Sherwood and Hicksville EMS, the Ohio Highway Patrol, Defiance County Sheriff's Office, Defiance County Red Cross, Hicksville street department and Hicksville and Sherwood police departments also provided assistance.
Traffic on Ohio 18 was re-routed onto side roads in the village for the duration of the incident.
Tuesday's incident was not the first at the business.
A fire in 1992 at the then-Hicksville branch of Landmark Inc. caused $500,000 in damage and led to the evacuation of 70 homes.
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