Steam Dryer Explodes at Idaho Sugar Beet Plant

Only one of five people injured in an explosion at a sugar beet processing facility Monday in west Idaho required a trip to the hospital.

At about 7:45 a.m., the sugar beet pulp steam dryer at Amalgamated Sugar in Nampa exploded, local media report. Workers operating the machine are required to wear protective gear that minimized the injuries, a spokeswoman for Amalgamated stated.

The worker taken to the hospital walked to the ambulance himself, the spokesperson reports.

Amalgamated produces sugar on a cooperative basis. It is the second-largest beet processor in the United States.