Explosion at fertilizer plant in Hardy
There was damage to the sides and top of a bin on the fertilizer plant at the Gold Eagle Cooperative in Hardy Tuesday afternoon. The explosion and fire occurred about 3:30 p.m. Local fire departments responded to the scene but the fire was able to burn itself out before aid could be rendered. The fertilizer plant was completed in late 2020. Photo courtesy of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
By KENT THOMPSON
The bin under the top of the fertilizer building at the Gold Eagle Cooperative in Hardy exploded Tuesday afternoon, July 5, about 3:30 p.m.
There were no injuries at the scene.
It was reported that eight yards of sulfur had been run through a pit and was elevated to the bin for mixing, when the substance somehow ignited.
“Structurally it looks OK. The fire was contained to the area between the blending and the holding bins. It burned itself out before the Eagle Grove Fire Department arrived on the scene with their ladder truck,” Jeff Mericle, the Gold Eagle safety director, said. The distributor where the fire was confined was mainly metal.
“We will know more on Thursday when a private fire investigator arrives on scene to survey the damage and give us more answers,” Mericle said.
The metal stairway outside the bins had a 12-inch bow, making them unsafe to climb. The ladder truck was needed to access the area where the fire was. North and south walls of the tower of the plant were blown off and there were holes in the roof.
Mericle said there was no damage to the any of the product contents of the fertilizer plant.
The Renwick and Humboldt Fire Departments also responded to the scene along with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are very thankful that no one was hurt,” Mericle said.
Livermore correspondent Kirk Hundertmark contributed to this story.
