Crews Respond to Sunflower Dryer Fire at Grain Elevator

Firefighters were called to the Border Ag & Energy grain elevator in Bottineau, ND on Friday after a blaze started in a piece of sunflower drying equipment, a company official told NBC News affiliate KFYR. 

The elevator’s general manager, Wayne Johnson, said in the news broadcaster’s coverage that the fire started in the dryer at about 10 a.m. and was extinguished after about an hour. Only a small amount of product was destroyed during the incident, according to Johnson. 

Fires are common at the facility, Johnson told KFYR.

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Border Ag & Energy provides grain marketing, fertilizer, feed, seed, and crop protection products and services, according to the firm’s website. The Bottineau site is one of seven facilities operated by the cooperative.

Earlier this month, a fire started in a grain dryer at the CHS Inc. sunflower processing plant and shipping facility in Grandin, ND. A report by KFGO noted that the plant’s dryers have been continuously in operation because crops this year have a high moisture content. 

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