Cause of fire at The Andersons Michigan facility under investigation

HEMLOCK, MICHIGAN, US — The cause of a fire that started late Dec. 18 and burned through the night at The Andersons, Inc. grain storage facility in Hemlock, Michigan, US, is still under investigation, according to television station WNEM 5.

According to 911 calls, flames were visible from the pump house. More than 100 firefighters from 29 fire departments worked to squelch the flames through the night. Residents in the area were evacuated for a few hours out of an abundance of caution.

No injuries were reported from the fire, the station said. As of Dec. 19, the fire was contained but still burning.

The Hemlock site has grain storage and ag retail, according to The Andersons website. The facility has a storage capacity of 4.687 million bushels of upright storage and 300,000 bushels of flat storage, according to Sosland Publishing’s 2023 Grain and Milling Annual.