Shortly after 8:30 p.m., a fire broke out in the dust extraction system of a silo containing 500 t of barley. Smoke rose from the extractor duct’s storage bin. Employees shut off the extraction system and alerted both the firefighters and the internal emergency-response unit at around 9:00 p.m. The firefighters doused the extraction system and reconnoitered the inside of the storage bin. After the temperature of the facilities was monitored overnight, the operator emptied the silo whilst monitoring the condition and temperature of the grain inside it. Operations to empty the 500 t of grain began the next day and lasted until 5:00 p.m. the following day.

The fire was caused by a combination of two factors: hot weather and a motor that overheated (it was coated with a thick layer of dust from improper cleaning) and ignited the dust. The movement of the extractor system’s blades stoked the burning dust and in turn ignited the dust inside the extractor duct and raising the duct’s internal temperature. A check of the motor when it short-circuited would have made it possible to detect the onset of ignition. An inspection performed by employees just before leaving the site prevented the fire spreading to the storage bin.

After the accident, the operator had the extraction systems of its facilities cleaned. He informed its employees of the importance of checking all equipment even if only one of them short-circuits and of investigating the cause of the problem before resetting a tripped circuit breaker.