AMES, IOWA, US — A grain dust incident occurred on May 14 at Landus Cooperative’s Jefferson, Iowa, US, location causing property damage. No injuries were reported.

According to Landus Cooperative, the incident occurred at 8:00 AM and local fire and emergency services responded to the explosion.

The cause of the incident is yet unknown but during the initial investigation following the explosion smoldering grain in a self-contained bin located next to the grain elevator was discovered. A salvage company specializing in extinguishing grain is expected onsite this afternoon to safely remove the grain from the bin, the company said.

On May 15, a day after the explosion, the head house of the Landus Cooperative Jefferson grain elevator caught fire.

“This is a normal occurrence for this type of situation,” the company said. “The local fire department is on hand to monitor and manage the situation. The location is secure and does not pose a threat to public safety.”

According to Sosland Publishing’s 2020 Grain & Milling Annual, the Jefferson location has a total upright storage of 8,852,000 bushels and 1,465,000 bushels of flat storage. Landus Cooperative as a whole has 59 grain storage facilities with a total licensed storage capacity of 177,226,000 bushels.