070805 wayne-x

Petaluma firefighters are using carbon dioxide gas to

extinguishing a fire in a canola grain silo that has been smoldering since

Sunday night.

Petaluma Fire Chief Chris Albertson said on Thursday crews are

pumping the gas into the top of the 110-foot silo at the Dairyman's Feed &

Supply Cooperative on Washington Street. The fire flared up around midnight

on Thursday.

Firefighters had been pumping the heavier-than-air gas into the

bottom of the silo but designed a nozzle and hooked up a high-pressure gas

line from a truck to the top of the silo on Thursday, Albertson said. The

hope is the carbon dioxide will percolate down through the smoldering grain

and extinguish what's left of the fire, Albertson said.

It could still take a couple days for the fire to go out or it

might have to burn itself out, Albertson said.

Neighboring businesses and residents have complained about the

"burned meat" odor and are reporting headaches, Albertson said, but the

burning vegetable matter is not emitting toxic fumes.

Several years ago firefighters tried to douse a grain silo fire

with water but that only created an oatmeal-like sludge that took days to

remove by wheel barrow, Albertson said.

Once the grain is no longer burning, it will be placed on a

conveyor belt and hauled away, Albertson said.

The smoldering fire began when 80 tons of old grain began

decomposing and spontaneously combusted firefighters said.

 

The Mayor's boat ride begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Petaluma River Turning

Basin and ends around 12:30 p.m. Contact Greg Sabourin at 293-3685 for any

other info :-) I think Terry was hoping for a shot of Mayor Pamela Torliatt

specfically.

 

 

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