On Jan. 21, a fire burned down a potato processing plant in Warden, Washington. The fire started in the dehydrator at the Washington Potato Co. facility and spread to other parts of the plant.
The plant specializes in dehydrated potato products, primarily potato flakes used in instant mashed potatoes and dehydrated scalloped potatoes for the foodservice industry.
No injuries or deaths have been reported, but emergency personnel evacuated nearly a third of the town as the flames threatened a large anhydrous ammonia tank.
The plant appears to be a total loss, which could be a big hit to Warden, a town of about 3,000 people.
Washington Potato Co. is a subsidiary of Oregon Potato Company.
We reached out to the company, but it hasn’t responded to our request for comment, and the incident remains under investigation.
