No injuries in feed elevator fire

Clovis firefighters were able to defeat a blaze in a feed elevator at Mesa Ingredients after more than six hours battling the Monday fire.

Clovis Battalion Chief Tim Peterson said firefighters were called to the plant in the 300 block of Curry Road K around 9 a.m.

Peterson said the plant processes milk byproducts from Southwest Cheese to make a sweet feed for cattle.

About 18 fire personnel used approximately 25,000 gallons of water throughout the day to knock down the fire, he said.

“We had six of our firefighters working on top of a 70 foot tower all day,” he said.

There were no injuries.

Workers had been trying to remove a clog in the elevator Sunday, and Peterson said a fire was ignited, though the exact cause is unknown.

“They smelled something burning yesterday, but didn’t discover it until today,” he said. “They had been working trying to unclog it and they had a lot of equipment in there. It possibly was from a welder, but it’s really unknown. It was definitely man caused (though).”

The material will likely continue to smolder for a few days, he said.