Fire at Nut Oil Processing Plant Causes $1.5M in Damages

100,000 liters of oil stoked a multi-day fire at an Australian macadamia nut processing plant, causing AUD$2 million, or about $1.5 million, in damages to the structure, several local news organizations reported.

More than a dozen fire and rescue personnel responded to the Macadamia Oils of Australia plant in Alstonville in New South Wales on Monday morning and remained on scene through Tuesday night. Oil stored at the site and accumulations of nut husks caused the flare ups after the blaze started.  

“It’s not the end of the business, factories can be rebuilt. We’re well insured, so it just means we’ve got to sit down and work out how we’re going to supply our customers in the short term,” General Manager of Macadamia Oils of Australia Darren Burton told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News).

Burton estimated the cost of the damages caused by the fire at AUD$2 million. The company said in a report by News Corp. Australia’s Northern Star that no people were present in the facility when the blaze started and that no injuries have been reported.

Local law enforcement officials are investigating the cause of the incident.

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