Critchley awaits flour mill demolition
By Terry Murry on Monday, October 24th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Pendleton firefighters are returning every three to four days to put out unreachable hotspots in the basement of the Pendleton Flour Mill. Chief Jim Critchley said they are using the recurring smoldering as a training event for crews from throughout the area.
“The amount of debris and smoldering material down there just keeps heating itself back up,” he said. “About every three days we take our big ladder truck down to the mill to train how to use the equipment better or how to get a proper stream. But instead of dumping the water in a loft or in a parking lot somewhere, we’re putting it back on the hot spots in the basement of the mill.”
Critchley said they are doing the training there because the water also seems to lessen the odor coming from the building.
He said when the fire will be fully extinguished depends on Grain Craft’s demolition plan. Work on demolishing the burned portion of the mill is already underway.
“As soon as we can get down there, that the walls are taken down and it’s safe for us to start cleaning up the basement, we’ll be able to put it out,” he said. “Until we can do it safely, I can’t put anybody inside the building until after we can bring the walls down a little bit further.”
