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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2022)
WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022 HermistonHerald.com EasternOregonMarketplace.com Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald Fire The wreckage continues to release smoke Feb. 23, 2022, at Shearer’s Food, Hermiston. Scott Stanton, chief of Umatilla County Fire District No. 1, described the blaze that occurred Feb. 22 as the largest the district fought in a decade. of the decade Shearer’s Foods, local governments commit to helping the processor’s 230 employees Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 fi refi ghters shift through the wreckage Feb. 23, 2022, to put out remaining fi res from an explosion the day prior. By ERICK PETERSON • Hermiston Herald T he day after an explosion and fire at Shearer’s Foods, Hermiston, smoke still rose from the scorched ruins. Umatilla County Fire Dis- trict No. 1 fi refi ghters, having spent a late night at the scene Feb. 22, returned at 10 a.m. Feb. 23, sorting through rubble to put out remaining hot spots. Fire offi cials said they expected to remain working at Shearer’s “for a while,” stating they were not quite sure when work would be complete. Jimmy Davis, operations chief for the district, said he was weary, and he was not the only one who felt this way. “Our guys are exhausted,” he said. A hard day at Shearer’s Foods Davis said the work was espe- cially diffi cult on the fi rst day of the fi re because the inside of the building collapsed. When the fi re was at its greatest, the walls remained, he said. According to Davis, this situation made it so fi refi ghters had diffi culty reach- INSIDE ing certain sections. This was not the only prob- lem fi refi ghters faced, Davis said, and fi refi ghters pulled out of the scene at around 10 p.m. Feb. 22. “We weren’t making much progress,” the operations chief said. Water valves on the fi re trucks were freezing in the cold temperatures. Firefi ghters were “exhausted and cold,” too, he said. There were 73 fi refi ghters at the scene, according to Davis. These fi refi ghters came from “all over” Umatilla and Mor- row counties. Nineteen fi refi ght- ers, he said, worked on water shuttles, bringing much-needed water to the fi re. The engine to the pump of the facility’s water supply broke, he said, and there was only one hydrant fi refi ghters could access on the road. The lack of water A3 Looking back at fl ood dangers Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald Snow was on the ground on Feb. 24, 2022, as workers continued to clear rubble from Shearer’s Food. Tony Castro and Jason McCary of Emerald City Statewide set up fencing Feb. 24, 2022, around the wreckage of Shearer’s Foods, two days after the explosion. was signifi cant in the attack on the blaze. “We knew we weren’t going to be able to put it out,” he said. Firefi ghters worked to pro- tect large tanks on the property that store chemicals, he said, and fi refi ghters held the fl ames back from nearby totes that also con- tained fl ammable materials. “We were able to keep it away from that,” he said. “That was the big thing.” The Shearer’s Foods explo- sion could have been even worse, he said, especially when A4 Our thanks to brave fi refi ghters considering air quality. “Don’t get me wrong, what- ever was in there and burned was putting up some nasty stuff ,” he said. Looking at the wreckage of Shearer’s, Davis said the fi re had “burned through a lot of what could burn.” The work on Feb. 23 Davis said he left Shearer’s at 2 a.m. on Feb. 23. He woke at 6 a.m. to take his children to school and begin Day 2 at the fi re scene. By 10 a.m., he was A6 Heppner plans St. Patrick’s festivities able to acquire an excavator and bring it to the site. Four or fi ve fi refi ghters were with him. “Today, we’re just working on tearing down these walls and trying to get what we can on the outside,” he said, motioning to twisted remains at the scene. The one fi retruck on the scene followed the excavator, as fi refi ghters put water on remain- ing hot spots. Davis said they would not be able to put out the fi res entirely. See Fire / A8 A7 Lego competition is a hit in Hermiston