Officials say dust may have involved in an explosion that occurred Thursday at Louisiana’s largest rice mill. Local news broadcaster KPLC reported that firefighters were sent to the Farmers Rice Milling Co. rice mill in Lake Charles, LA after a blast happened at the top of a silo.
“We suspect something ignited the dust in the silo which caused the explosion,” LaBleu Fire Chief Tom Leonards told the NBC News affiliate.
Firefighters swiftly doused the flames using lines to bring water to the top of the silo, the chief detailed. The company said operations may be impacted at the site for one or two days as damages are assessed. No one was hurt.
Farmers Rice Milling Co.’s Lake Charles site is the largest rice mill in the state of Louisiana, featuring a capacity of 750 million lb/yr of long and medium grain rice products, according to the website of its owner, The Powell Group. The facility opened in 1917.
