OnionBusiness does not subscribe to conspiracy theories, but the recent spate of fires affecting food processors and distributors across the nation has gotten our attention.
Some of the fires have been attributed to specific causes; some have not. Without editorializing or speculating, here’s a rundown of the fires and locations in the past six weeks.
April 18, Azure Standard, Dufur, OR; organic/non-GMO/natural products. Headquarters and warehouse burned, cause not reported.
April 13, Taylor Farms, Salinas, CA; major player in processed foods. 85-90 percent of facility damaged, cause not reported.
April 13, Gem State Processing, Heyburn, ID; a small plane crashed into the potato processing facility, killing the pilot who was attempting to land at a nearby airfield. Cause of the crash not determined. The facility was not damaged.
April 11, East Conway Beef and Pork, East Conway, NH; experienced a major plant fire. No cause reported.
March 28, Maricopa Food Pantry, Maricopa, AZ; a fire broke out shortly after the facility closed, causing the loss of 50,000 of food. Cause not reported.
March 22, Shearer’s Foods, Hermiston, OR; a boiler exploded, and the fire, burning the facility and injuring seven employees.
March 31, Rio Fresh, San Juan, TX; no cause given for fire that severely damaged the onion facility.
March 16, Walmart fulfillment center, Plainfield, IN; ATF investigating fire at 1.2 million-sq.-ft. distribution center. No cause listed.
Photo: Taylor Farms, Salinas, CA fire, Twitter
