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Department of Ecology News Release - July 2, 2008
08-183
SPOKANE--The Grandview Fire Department, other neighboring firefighters and spill responders from the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) are at the scene where a fire today destroyed the Wild River Foods plant located at 206 Avenue A in Grandview.
Most of the fire is under control, but spots occasionally flare up.
All employees were evacuated with no injuries.
The Wild River Foods facility in Grandview manufactures frozen French fries. The fire caused the loss of approximately 18,000 pounds of ammonia and 10,000 gallons of soybean oil. According to responders, the ammonia was consumed in the fire.
Ecology personnel are investigating the city’s infrastructure to determine if the oil could have entered storm drains and traveled to Sunnyside Irrigation District streams and ditches.
The company has hired a contractor to clean up and recover any oil in the city’s system.
When oil enters water, it can coat the surface of the water and the vegetation, smothering insects and potentially fish.
Wild River Foods suffered a total loss of the processing plant in Grandview.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Media Contacts:
Jani Gilbert, Ecology Media Relations, 509-329-3495, cell 509-990-9177,
e-mail jagi461@ecy.wa.gov.
Jack Calder, VP of Operations, Wild Rivers Foods, 509-760-6685.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
