The structures, totaling approximately 200,000 square feet, reportedly burned to the ground. Firefighters from 15 different engine companies arrived to battle the blaze; they were able to preserve a cold-storage facility and the site’s office building (totalling approximately 80,000 square feet), but the other four structures were a total loss.
Investigation underway
No injuries have been reported, and authorities have not been able to determine if the walnut and prune processing lines at the facility were in use at the time of the blaze. The cause of the fire, which occurred on Saturday, is still under investigation.
The affected facility, located in Oliverhurst, California, is the US division of Tokyo-based Yanji Shoei Foods. The California plant opened for business in 1986.
Previous blaze
The blaze is the second large-scale fire to hit a food production facility on Oliverhurst’s Feather River Blvd. in four years. Nearby Naumes, a food processing facility, was struck in 2010 by a blaze that burned for several hours.
Local fire officials and Shoei Foods representatives could not be reached for comment. FoodProductionDaily will share additional details about the incident as soon as they are available.