One injured in grain elevator fire

CREATED Nov. 6, 2012

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One man was taken to a hospital after a fire broke out at a grain elevator in Wichita.

The fire at the DeBruce grain elevator was reported Monday evening. Sedgwick County Deputy Fire Marshal Clint Reed said crews had to use aerial devices to reach the fire, which was about 120 feet off the ground, on top of the elevator. Reed said the cause hasn't been determined, but the fire appears to have started in the motor for one of the belt systems.

A Sedgwick County dispatch supervisor said the victim, a man in his 30s, was taken to the burn unit of Via Christi Hospital.  Reed said later that the man, an employee of the grain elevator, was treated and later released.

DeBruce was the scene of an explosion that killed seven people and injured 10 others on June 8, 1998.

A dollar estimate was not available on the damage from the fire.

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Workers at the Debruce Grain Elevator spotted smoke coming from a machine area on top of the elevator. It happened shortly before 5 p.m. Monday.

A check of the area found a grain belt on fire. Units from Sedgwick County and the Wichita Fire Department responded to the scene. They faced several challenges right away.

"It was a very difficult fire to fight," said Sedgwick County Deputy Fire Marshal Clint Reed. "The top of the bins were 120 feet in the air, so we had to use aerial devices and then hoist hose the rest of the way up with rope."

Firefighters also had to go up one at a time, then send their equipment up seperately. It took nearly four hours to get all the equipment into place and then bring the fire under control.

Reed said the cause hasn't been determined, but appears to have started in the motor for one of the belt systems. Reed said he did not know how much damage was caused by the fire.