Grain Elevator Explodes in Iowa, Hurting 5 Workers

A huge grain elevator caught fire and exploded Friday, blowing the tops off storage bins, shattering windows for 25 blocks and forcing the evacuation of downtown buildings, authorities said.

Five people were injured, one seriously. Twelve people worked at the elevator, but most were evacuated when the fire began.

A thick cloud of smoke created by the fire and explosion was detected on National Weather Service radar 75 miles northeast in Moline, Ill., officials said.

“We believe it was caused by grain dust, although we don’t have any confirmation,” said Jerry Ostendorf, operations manager for the state Office of Disaster Services.

The Archer Daniels Midland elevator, located along the Mississippi River, is used to store grain for shipment by railroad or barge.

Burning debris, blown hundreds of yards away, started small fires after the initial blast. A barge and railroad cars east of the terminal also caught fire, witnesses said.

The explosion also blew the tops out of six concrete eight-story storage bins in the 12-bin complex, and other bins were damaged.

“It blew the lid right off,” said Charles Gates, managing editor of the Hawk Eye’s, the local newspaper. “It was like a 2,000-pound bomb going off.”

By midafternoon, more than four hours after the blast, Police Chief Ted Behne said there was no more danger of explosions and people were allowed to re-enter a 10-block area that had been cleared.

Officials had feared that railroad tank cars containing anhydrous ammonia, a hazardous compound used in making farm fertilizers, might explode or that the flames might reach an underground diesel fuel tank.