Fire at Oregon Ethanol Plant Prompts Evacuations

Crews have contained fire at an ethanol fuel facility west of Portland, Oregon, in Cornelius,that prompted evacuations, authorities said.

The Seattle Times reports that the Cornelius Fire Department was called to the fire at 1:42 p.m. March 16. Reports called the fire “serious” and tweeted out a photo of the blaze at a building and thick, black smoke above it.

Fire officials later tweeted a map showing an area in which people needed to evacuate, which included a Walmart store, and told others to shelter in place.

At about 2:45 p.m., Cornelius fire officials tweeted that crews had developed a plan to attack the flames as safely as possible, adding that it would be a “long duration event.”

The facility contained several thousand gallons of high-burning ethanol, Cornelius Fire spokesperson Matt Johnston said at a news conference. Crews did not enter the facility to douse the flames until they determined it was safe, Johnston said.

The fire was contained by 7:30 p.m. and the department lifted the evacuation order.