Grainland Cooperative usually opens for business at 6 a.m. weekdays. But because a large amount of grain was expected to be processed Monday, employees were told not to report for work until 7 a.m.
The Journal Star reports a few minutes after 6 a.m. Monday, the explosion and fire were reported at the elevator along U.S. Route 24 in Cruger, an unincorporated community.
“The explosion probably would have killed them, without a doubt,” Craig Neal, chief of the Eureka-Goodfield Fire Protection District, told the Journal Star Tuesday morning.
A firefighter who resides near the elevator said the explosion shook his house, according to Neal, who said it was felt in Washington, about seven miles away. The debris field extended 300 to 500 feet.
A structural engineer inspected the site Tuesday, according to Neal, who wasn’t sure if at least part of the elevator would need to be demolished. He also wasn’t sure what caused the explosion and fire, although dust accumulation can be a culprit.
