Fire sparked by welding equipment burned in a below ground grain silo at the Port of Vancouver on Monday, according to the Vancouver Fire Department.
Four units were dispatched at 2:47 p.m. to Great Western Malting at 2:47 p.m. after maintenance workers called 911 after being unable to control the fire with staff and fire protection equipment on scene, a fire department statement said.
Workers told firefighters they had been performing maintenance work when welding sparks dropped into an area storing about 200 to 300 pounds of grain. They found smoke and heat in the area and called 911, the statement said.
The fire department’s Hazardous Materials Team was brought in to monitor the air and check for extension, since smoke was noted throughout the building and the grain elevator.
Crews extinguished the blaze and cleared the scene after two and a half hours, the statement said.
