Milling & Baking News - August 23, 2022 - 10

PENDLETON PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 2296 FACEBOOK
TUES | 08 23 202 2
Pendleton flour mill sustains
severe damage from blaze
PENDLETON, ORE. - Severe damage
has been sustained at the Pendleton, Ore.,
flour mill of Grain Craft following fierce
fires at the facility. While details about
the Aug. 10 incident remain preliminary,
the company said no employees were
injured.
" A fire has occurred at the Grain Craft
mill in Pendleton, Ore., " Chattanooga,
Tenn.-based Grain Craft said Aug. 10.
" There have been no employee injuries
reported, and our focus remains on the
A week later, the fire was still smoldering.
The Salem, Ore.-based Capital
Press on Aug. 17 said smoke continued to
emanate from the facility and quoted a
local fire official as saying intermittent
flareups had continued. A chain link fence
was installed around the mill.
A day after the fire broke out, Peter T.
Frederick, president and chief executive
officer of Grain Craft, issued the following
statement:
" Yesterday a fire caused substantial
damage to our flour mill in
Pendleton, Ore. First and
foremost, we are beyond
grateful that no one was
injured. The blaze required
several hours and many
teams of responders to
bring it under control.
While the situation is still
active, we are working to
fully understand the cause
and circumstances.
" We would like to offer
An Aug. 10 fire caused devastating damages at the Pendleton,
Ore., flour mill of Grain Craft.
safety and well-being of our team members
and the surrounding community.
The mill has suffered substantial damage.
We are still working to understand the
situation. "
On Aug. 10, the East Oregonian quoted
Pendleton assistant fire chief Tony
Pierotti as relating that the fire ignited
at 4:30 in the morning and that " all signs
point to the massive structure as a total
loss. "
" The silos also were at full capacity
of finished grain so the fire fuel load is
extreme, " he added.
Images on the East Oregonian and other
websites showed a massive fire shooting
up from the facility.
10
MILLING & BAKING NEWS
our sincere gratitude to
everyone from the Pendleton
Fire Department, Pendleton
Police Department,
many surrounding fire
departments, public works
and all first responders
who were on the scene yesterday
and throughout the night. Thank
you for your service and dedication to the
safety of the Pendleton community.
" We also want to recognize the impact
this fire has had on our neighbors
throughout the town and want to thank
you for your patience and support as the
fire was cleared. We are truly grateful to
be surrounded by such a strong and supportive
community. Our Grain Craft family
appreciates your patience as we work
through this unfortunate loss.
" We have been in touch with all our
Pendleton mill team members to discuss
areas of support in the coming weeks.
" The Pendleton flour mill began operation
more than 100 years ago, and it was
not only an important component in providing
our customers flour, but it was also
a significant piece of history for the city
of Pendleton and for the milling industry.
All of us at Grain Craft are heartbroken
by the events of yesterday. "
The Pendleton flour mill was built in
the 1920s and has 22 employees, Grain
Craft said.
Noting that the fire has not yet been
completely extinguished, Grain Craft
has not offered further updates after
issuing the Aug. 11 statement and has not
disclosed plans of whether the mill will be
repaired or rebuilt.
The Pendleton mill for much of its
history was owned by Kerr-Pacific Corp.,
Portland, and predecessor companies
owned by the Kerr family. Kerr, Gifford &
Co. in 1943 acquired a flour mill in Pendleton,
known as the Walters Flouring
Mills, a facility dating back to the 1890s.
The mill was destroyed by fire in 1945. In
the 1970s, Kerr Grain Co. acquired Collins
Flour Mills in Pendleton, a mill built in
1919. From 1937 until it was acquired by
Kerr Grain, the flour mill was operated
by General Foods Corp. In 2001, the
Pendleton mill and two others owned
by Kerr-Pacific became part of a joint
venture with Milner Milling. The entire
business was renamed Grain Craft in 2014
following the acquisition of Cereal Food
Processors. In late June of this year, Grain
Craft announced it would be acquired by
Redwood Capital Investments, LLC.
Pendleton is located in eastern Oregon,
about 200 miles due east of Portland.
According to the Grain & Milling
Annual published by Sosland Publishing
Co., the mill has daily flour milling capacity
of 6,000 cwts and storage capacity of
1,170,000 bus of wheat. Grain Craft, which
operates 13 flour mills in the United
States, also has flour mills in the region in
Portland, Ore. (8,700 cwts of daily capacity);
Blackfoot, Idaho (16,500 cwts); Ogden,
Utah (16,400 cwts); and Great Falls and
Billings, Mont. (7,500 cwts and 6,400 cwts,
respectively).
In June, Grain Craft announced that
its parent company had entered into an
agreement under which Redwood Capital
Investments, LLC will acquire Grain
Craft. MBN
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Milling & Baking News - August 23, 2022

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