Firefighters and emergency preparedness officials huddle Monday at Amick Farms in Saluda County, where a grain silo explosion injured 10 men. Firefighters had tried to extinguish a smoldering fire in the silo Saturday. JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

Silo explosion injures workers

Web posted August 3, 1999

 
 WRDW Video Coverage
 Amick Hatchery location

By Greg Rickabaugh and Mark Mathis
Staff Writers

MONETTA, S.C. -- Ten men were hurt Monday when an explosion at a Saluda County feed mill blew out the top and bottom of a corn silo, spewing fire and debris and causing third-degree burns to employees working nearby.

Six men were taken to Joseph M. Still Jr. Burn Center at Columbia-Augusta Medical Center, and several others were treated at hospitals in Aiken, Edgefield and Richland counties. Their names were being withheld until their families give permission for them to be identified publicly, said Amick Farms spokesman Richard Quinn.

One of the men taken to Columbia-Augusta Medical Center was listed in critical condition Monday night with burns on 45 percent of his body. One had only a small burn, and the other four were listed in stable condition.

All the men were being kept at least overnight for observation for signs of lung damage from smoke inhalation but should make a full recovery, said Dr. Joe Still, director of the burn center. All except possibly one patient with minor burns might require surgery to close the wounds with skin grafting or artificial skin coverings.

One man was in critical condition Monday night at Richland Memorial Hospital because of smoke inhalation, Mr. Quinn said.

Firefighter John Sharpe arrived at the silo shortly after the explosion just after noon and worked to set up a landing strip for helicopters.

The explosion blew out the top and bottom of this silo, twisting metal and spewing corn a quarter-mile. JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

``It was chaos, total chaos,'' he said. ``People were running everywhere. Basically, people were going into shock, thermal shock.''

Circle Fire Department Chief Dudley Rushton put wet rags on the

men, working to calm them and using interpreters because none of them spoke English. All the victims appeared to be Hispanic, Chief Rushton said.

The men were temporary employees hired Monday to clean the area after a weekend fire in the 116-foot corn silo, Mr. Quinn said. That fire may have been caused by the unprecedented heat wave in the area, he said.

A weak cold front inched across South Carolina on Monday, breaking a record-setting heat wave that pushed temperatures above 100 degrees during the weekend.

``They had a smoldering fire in that bin over the weekend, and they brought in several (fire) departments to try and contain it. They flooded it with water and sealed it up to smother it and let it cool over the weekend,'' Mr. Quinn said.

Officials were cautious to use only a set amount of water so the structure of the silo would not be compromised by the additional weight, Mr. Quinn said.

After fire departments from Ridge Spring, Monetta and Batesburg-Leesville contained the smoldering fire, officials sealed the corn silo with cardboard to ``smother the smoldering remains of the fire'' and keep any more corn from spilling out, Mr. Quinn said.

Fire officials inspected the silo Sunday and deemed it safe for workers to begin cleanup, he said.

On Monday, a cleanup crew began clearing the mess left by firefighters on the outside by raking, hosing down the area and hauling off debris. None of the workers went into the bin, Mr. Quinn said.

``But when they were around back, there was an explosion, and some of the top blew off and a back door blew out right where they were cleaning up,'' Mr. Quinn said.

The explosion blew off the top of the corn silo, twisting metal and spewing burnt kernels a quartermile. It caused several cracks in the silo's 8-inch-thick concrete wall and was enough to scare forklift operator Robert Aull, who was working nearby for Monetta Peach Packers. He said the explosion wasn't very loud, but smoke billowed from the silo's top.

``I saw people running this way, so I started running, too,'' he said, adding that he thought the silo might explode again.

The silo holds up to 300,000 bushels of corn for use in making chicken feed. At the time of the explosion, it held 12,000 bushels.

The Saluda County Sheriff's Office and the Ridge Spring Fire Department are investigating the explosion. Fire officials planned to let the fire smolder out before approaching it or beginning their inquiry. That could take 48 hours, Fire Chief Robert Steadman said.

Ventilation was not a problem at the silo, Mr. Quinn said, with several ventilators on its sides and cardboard used as a sealant at the bottom.

The heat from the smoldering fire combined with the right amounts of air and dust was enough to force an explosion, said Luke Daniels, chief operational officer of Amick Farms.

Bill Amick, the company's chairman and chief executive officer, drove straight from a business meeting in Charlotte, N.C., to the Still Burn Center after he learned of the accident.

``I'm just relieved to find out the prognosis for all the men is real optimistic,'' he said.

Amick Farms has about 1,100 employees. The main chicken processing plant is on U.S. Highway 178 near Batesburg-Leesville. The explosion occurred at the feed mill, where 21 employees process corn for chicken feed.

Amick Farms was founded in 1941 and generates $10 million in annual sales. The feed mill opened in 1985.

``Amick Farms has an excellent safety record. Nothing like this has ever happened before,'' Mr. Quinn said. ``Of course, we are having heat that we've never had in history.''

Greg Rickabaugh and Mark Mathis can be reached at (803) 279-6895 or scbureau@augustachronicle.com.