Cornmeal Dryer Fire Breaks Out at Alto Pekin Facility

A blaze ignited in a piece of drying equipment in the Alto Pekin LLC facility in Pekin, IL on June 24, prompting a response from local fire crews, several local news organizations reported.

Pekin Deputy Fire Chief Tony Rendleman told television news station WMBD that firefighters were called to the site at about 7:30 a.m. after the dryer caught on fire and flames spread into the structure. Employees reportedly evacuated the facility without incident.

The equipment is used to dry cornmeal during ethanol production, coverage by WEEK said. Rendleman said the machines frequently catch on fire.

Crews were on scene for about an hour and a half, per an account by IllinoisNewsToday.com.

Alto Pekin’s parent company, Alto Ingredients, operates a complex in Pekin that has two dry mill distilleries, a wet mill distillery, and specialized yeast production assets.