Grain Elevator Burns Neighbors Evacuated Over Fear Of Explosion

A fire here destroyed much of one of the few independently owned grain elevators in Latah County early Wednesday.

The Potlatch Fire Department began dousing a fire in the wooden crib of the Potlatch Grain and Seed Co.’s elevator just after 9 a.m. when flames were spouting from its top. The crib is used for storing grain.

Fire departments from Palouse, Garfield, Moscow and the U.S. Forest Service also helped fight the fire.

By late afternoon, the crib and an attached one-story building were completely destroyed. Two metal silos at the elevator appeared intact, but one of the owners, Milly Krasselt, said she worried the heat from the crib fire may have damaged a nearby silo.

Firefighters did not know Wednesday what caused the blaze but thought it could have been faulty wiring.

Krasselt and her husband, Wayne, owners of Potlatch Grain and Seed Co., said they will decide what to do after talking to their insurance company. Potlatch Grain and Seed Co. is one of only two privately owned grain elevators in Latah County, Wayne Krasselt said.

The fire caused several nearby houses to be evacuated for fear the silos might explode.

“Grain dust is highly explosive,” said Steven Janzen, support services administrator for the Latah County Sheriff’s Office. “When you’ve got a certain concentration in the air, it’s more explosive than dynamite.”

Potlatch Fire Chief Gary Nagle said it would take until at least late Wednesday to completely douse the fire in the elevator. Firefighters also were fighting flames that had spread into grass nearby.

The fire comes at a particularly bad time, Wayne Krasselt said.

“Best harvest I’ve seen since I’ve been in the business,” he said. He started operating the elevator in August 1990. “This year was going to be a dandy!”

Since harvest began on Monday, there was only a small amount of split peas being stored at the elevator, Milly Krasselt said.

Things could have been much worse, Wayne Krasselt said.

“Between all the storage there, if it was full, it’ll hold about $1 million of commodities,” he said.

The crib - which was built around 1945 - is irreplaceable. Modern silos are typically made of metal. The Krasselts also lost some machinery, two pickups, an antique sleigh, some restaurant equipment the Krasselts planned to put in a restaurant they own and possibly some fertilizer inside the burned building, Milly Krasselt said.

The Krasselts own a second, smaller grain elevator in Princeton, Idaho. They hope their regular customers will trek the extra miles to take their grain to that elevator, Milly Krasselt said.