GALLERY: Views of the Hermiston food plant explosion and subsequent fire from every angle
HERMISTON, Ore. — The massive boiler explosion at Shearer’s Foods, one of the region’s largest potato chip plants located in Umatilla County, sent a plume of smoke into the air above Northeast Oregon on Tuesday afternoon.
KAPP KVEW reported live on the scene Tuesday and captured several images. Later, Umatilla County Fire District #1—the station leading the widescale response to this tremendous fire—released a variety of images from their response.
On Wednesday morning, KAPP KVEW obtained the following video clip taken via drone above the site of this fire. You can take a look at the aerial view in the tweet below:
According to the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, six people were injured in the explosion which closed OR 207 into Tuesday night. They were all transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center for emergency care, and their current condition is unknown.
An investigation revealed that the source of the explosion was a portable boiler that was fueled by natural gas. The explosion shrouded the air above Northeastern Oregon with dark smoke and forced evacuations for all residents in the immediate vicinity of the plant.
In total, an estimated 60 firefighters responded through mutual aid agreements. Only one of the many structures on the plant was deemed a total loss.
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