A Friday afternoon fire at the Exol ethanol plant was quickly contained, but will affect operations for a few days, members say.

Saturday, April 28, 2001

A Friday afternoon fire at the Exol ethanol plant was quickly contained, but will affect operations for a few days, members say.

The fire started shortly after 3 p.m. in a corn dryer, but was quickly extinguished thanks to the sprinkler system and township fire departments’ quick response, said Exol Board President Gary Pestorious.

According to authoirities, the Glenville, Emmons, Myrtle and Albert Lea Township fire departments responded to the blaze, which was isolated to the dryer.

Authorities evacuated the plant as a precaution, Ethanol is extremely flammable, Pestorious said.

&uot;It could have been a lot worse,&uot; Pestorious said. &uot;It was contained because of the quick response.&uot;

Officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire.

Damage to the dryer will slow operations for a day or two, Pestorious said. But because the coop is working on an expansion to the plant, they have another one on site to replace the damaged dryer.