Losses from Fresno County ag fire ‘going to be in the millions,’ plant manager says
A massive fire at a west Fresno County almond hull processor could cost the company millions of dollars in losses, the plant manager said Sunday.
The fire broke out Saturday afternoon at Superior Almond Hulling on Harlan Avenue, east of Interstate 5, sending clouds of billowing smoke into the air. By the evening, several towering piles of burning hulls cast an eerie glow on the property.
Cal Fire spokesman Seth Brown said some of the piles, which are at least 50 feet wide and up to 30 feet high, will continue smoldering through next week.
Plant manager Kevin M. Long said that while it is too soon to determine the total dollar loss in hulls, it will be significant.
“It is going to be in the millions of dollars,” he said.
The plant is one of many on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that process almonds by separating the nut from the hull and shell. Plants like Superior operate 24 hours a day.
Almond hulls are valuable commodity in agriculture. After being processed, the hulls are sold primarily to the dairy industry as cattle feed.
Long said the plant had just finished its seven-months-long processing season Tuesday.
“It was the crew’s first weekend off in seven months when the fire broke out,” Long said. “But everyone stepped up when we got the call there was a fire.”
Long and Cal Fire officials believe the fire began spontaneously deep within the 30-foot-high pile of hulls. Brown said the recent storm, followed by dry warmer weather, provided the right combination for heat to generate inside the piles.
Another almond hull fire was reported at a separate facility on North Avenue, just west of Fairfax Avenue.
This story was originally published February 28, 2021 at 12:18 PM.
