Reuters — An explosion and fire on Friday morning rocked Louis Dreyfus Commodities’ canola-crushing plant at Yorkton, Sask., but the fire was later extinguished, a city official said.
The explosion occurred around 9:30 a.m. CT and firefighters put it out later in the morning, City of Yorkton spokesman Roy Lanaway said.
Brant Randles, president of the company, said in an email to Reuters that there were no injuries and the explosion occurred in an area that stores canola meal pellets. The extent of damage was unclear, he said.
The company is the Canadian unit of its namesake global grain trader.
The plant is one of two in the area; the other is owned by Richardson International. It has the capacity to crush 850,000 tonnes of canola a year, according to a Louis Dreyfus website.
The crush plant produces oil for vegetable oil markets and meal, which is mainly used to feed livestock.
— Rod Nickel is a Reuters correspondent based in Winnipeg.
