LA CROSSE, Ind. — A grain elevator in northern Indiana where an explosion injured four employees was slated for closure prior to an April 16 blast heard – and felt – for miles.
The blast in La Crosse was powerful enough to blow large holes out of both sides of a 175-foot-tall feed mill that sits beside two silos. Residents as far away as Union Mills, about 15 miles, reported hearing the 9 a.m. explosion and feeling their houses shake. Don Wantola, employed by the Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad, said he was in his office about a half-mile away when he heard three consecutive explosions. "It sounded like a big bomb going off," he noted.
All of the victims were employees of the grain elevator, owned by Co-Alliance at 410 Howard St. just east of U.S. Highway 421. Jonah Pacione, 19, and Emilio Galicia, 43, were taken by helicopter to St. Joseph Burn Center in Ft. Wayne. Craig Chase, 34, and Chris Fort, 26, were taken by ambulance to Porter Regional Hospital near Valparaiso, with undisclosed injuries.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the employees who were injured today. Co-Alliance personnel will be on-site at the hospitals to provide support and assistance to the employees and their families," said CEO Kevin A. Still. "We do not yet know the cause of the accident, but will work with the authorities in their investigation."
The extent of the burns was not known, but 18-year-old Justin Kiel, after running there from his house to see if he could help, said one of the injured men was stumbling out of the elevator with his face covered in dust.
"The skin was just ripped off of his hands," said Kiel, a member of the La Crosse Town Council. "It felt more like an earthquake."
About half of the concrete feed mill operation on the east side was blown off, while damage to the east side of the structure was less extensive, but toward the top there was a gaping hole.
The mill grinds corn and other ingredients such as soybean meal, and adds supplements to manufacture feed for hogs and other livestock at farms primarily within a 50-mile radius, said John Graham, chief financial officer for Co-Alliance, which is headquartered in Avon just west of Indianapolis.
La Crosse Fire Department Safety Officer Larry Rust ordered the area sealed off because of the risk of the tower collapsing; he felt damage to the structure was too extensive for it to be rebuilt.
Because the investigation was in the early stages Friday, a cause of the explosion was not known, but typically in any silo blast grain dust, because of its combustibility, is one of the first things examined as having a possible role. "Any little spark from anything can set that off," said La Crosse Fire Chief Aaron Rust.
He reported the explosion produced a flash fire, but only a small number of pallets were burning and some of the grain was smoldering. The grain was saturated with water poured from a ladder truck to prevent any of its hot spots from igniting more of the corn and feed mixture.
Authorities said there were no confirmed reports of any damage to surrounding homes and other structures, but Vicki Brettman said she plans on having her foundation inspected just in case. Brettman, who has lived across the street from the grain elevator for more than 40 years, was awakened by the blast that she described as sounding louder than thunder.
"The house shook pretty good," she noted.
The investigation was turned over to the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Graham said the decision to close the grain elevator prior to the blast was made in order to consolidate the operation with a new feed mill the company has built in Reynolds, which is about 40 miles to the south. He said the new facility is modern and more efficient and can produce a higher-quality product than the site in La Crosse, which has "50-year old technology."
Most of the employees will be placed at other facilities owned by Co-Alliance, which operates 11 feed mills in the northern and central part of the state and one in Buchanan, Mich., said Graham.
In 2013, a Co-Alliance-owned grain elevator in nearby Union Mills exploded, causing 67-year-old James Swank to fall more than 100 feet from a work platform to his death. A mechanical failure generating sparks that ignited grain dust was ruled as the cause. That elevator was rebuilt and is still undergoing improvements.
Graham said it might be several weeks before the cause for the explosion in La Crosse is known, but having two explosions in two years is a source of concern and something the company wants to know more about in order to prevent future explosions.
He said no other Co-Alliance facilities have had explosions. "Once we figure out what the cause of this is, we’ll know more on what to be concerned about to see if there’s something we’re doing or not," he added.
