Critchley talks about the flour mill fire
By Terry Murry on Monday, August 22nd, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Pendleton Fire Chief Jim Critchley said Friday that firefighters remain at the Pendleton Flour Mills around the clock. The fire has been contained to the building of origin, but danger still exists.
“The building collapsed in,” he said. “There’s still a lot of product – flour, not just wheat – that’s still in the building.”
The first day of the fire, Aug. 9, one of the first responders had to be transported to St. Anthony Hospital due to a reaction to the extreme heat. Critchley said the heat remained a problem, but Umatilla County stepped up, opening the lobby of the Pendleton courthouse as a cooling station.
He compared it to a fire at an old lumber mill or a haystack. He saluted the community for helping keep the firefighters safe.
“Climbing those floors and wearing those 70 pounds of gear, it gets to you,” he said. “There were firefighters from everywhere in Umatilla County and as far away as Gresham and Corbett.”
The fire is currently under investigation.
“I called in the state to do the investigation, and they’re conducting their investigation now,” he said. Critchley talked about the flour mill fire and other hot topics on Friday’s KUMA Coffee Hour at https://omny.fm/shows/coffee-hour-podcast/august-19-pendleton-fire-ambulance.
