Fire Breaks Out in Silo at Michigan Sugar Plant

A fire ignited in a silo containing pulp pellets at the Michigan Sugar beet processing plant in Caro, MI on Tuesday afternoon, several local news organizations reported. 

Firefighters were dispatched to the South Almer Street facility at 1:47 p.m., Tuscola County Central Dispatch Director Sandra Nielsen told CBS News affiliate WNEM. 

Members of the Caro Fire Department and plant staff have been observing a hotspot in the bin for several weeks, according to the television news station. Silo fires were also reported at Michigan Sugar’s Caro plant on May 11 and May 2. Material was being removed from the bin when the blaze ignited on Tuesday. 

Heat from fermenting pellets may have started the fire, a Michigan Sugar spokesperson said in coverage by news radio station WSGW. Two panels were blown off of the silo’s roof during the incident. 

No one was injured during the fire.

Constructed in 1899, Michigan Sugar’s plant in Caro processes 650,000 tn/yr of sugar beets, producing some 190 million lb/yr of sugar, 28,000 tn/yr of dried beet pulp, 30,000 tn/yr of pressed pulp, and 26,000 tn/yr of molasses, according to information on the company’s website. The company operates three other processing facilities in Michigan. 

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