Technical Note SB67: Best practices for handling silo fires at wood pellet plants

A wood pellet silo fire has a number of risks that may cause serious injuries or death for plant personnel and emergency services personnel. Millions of dollars of pellet plant infrastructure can also be damaged.

Silo fires are unique and require a different approach than conventional fires.  Since they rarely occur, fire-rescue personnel have little experience in dealing with these types of fires.  But because the fire development and the emergency response processes are different from conventional fire rescue processes, it is essential to consider the specific conditions of the silo fires in order to have an effective emergency response.  In the case of the silo fire at Pacific BioEnergy’s plant, the specific emergency planning done by the Pacific BioEnergy team and the fire rescue personnel was key to success.