Fire officials in Donalsonville say the peanut warehouse fire that ignited last Thursday, Oct. 15 is almost out, but smoke could is still rising from the warehouse at times.
On Sunday, Donalsonville Fire Chief Dean King said the fire was about 90 percent contained, but added that some hot spots continue to flare up.
Donalsonville’s fire Chief King said he was grateful for the support he and his colleagues had received from other area fire departments.
More than 70 firefighters helped out with the peanut warehouse fire or provided backup for Donalsonville firefighters. On Sunday, a crew of about 20 firefighters went back to work spraying water on what remained of the fire.
Worker crews have been using construction equipment to scoop peanuts from the warehouse and place them in trucks headed for Alabama. Whether the quality of the peanuts that didn’t catch fire will be enough to be usuable is still being determined.
Video by Kevin Dowdy for Sowegalive:
Sessions Peanut Company was storing about 7,000 tons of peanuts in the Cloverleaf Gin warehouse, which was being leased out. Sessions officials have said the peanuts were worth several million dollars worth in all. It’s been an unlucky year for Sessions Peanuts, as one of the company’s peanut warehouses in Enterprise, AL, had a major fire in January 2015, according to the Dothan Eagle.
Construction workers also removed the large warehouse’s walls and the company plans to eventually tear down the entire building, which was almost a football field in size and about 60-80 feet tall.
The smoke was still present over the weekend as the Seminole County Harvest Festival was held in downtown Donalsonville. Although the smoke had an odor, depending on which way the wind was blowing, it didn’t hamper the festivities.
Be the first to comment