Fire breaks out after explosion at Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, with no injuries reported

A fire broke out on Saturday at the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after what firefighters described as evidence of an explosion, with no injuries reported (Associated Press, Men’s Journal).

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department said crews were dispatched at about 4:45 p.m. local time on Saturday after a report of an explosion at the facility, and found what appeared to be evidence of an explosion and a subsequent fire (India United Press). Video and photographs shared online showed black smoke over the downtown area of the city of about 140,000 people, and traffic was affected on Interstate 380 near the S-curve as crews worked at the plant (Associated Press, Men’s Journal).

All plant workers were accounted for by about 5:30 p.m. with no injuries, the fire department said. Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a video message that the fire happened in an area of the building that handled products, adding: “It’s not heavily populated with employees and team members. Which of course in this case was a blessing” (Associated Press, India United Press).

There was no immediate information on what caused the fire. PepsiCo Foods US, which owns Quaker Oats, said first responders were at the scene and that how the fire started would be investigated (Associated Press, The Scottish Sun).

The Cedar Rapids facility is the largest milling facility in the world, processing over 2 million pounds of oats daily, according to the company’s website (Associated Press).