Explosion and Fire Hit Quaker Oats Plant in Cedar Rapids, No Injuries Reported

An explosion and fire at the Quaker Oats plant in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, sent heavy smoke over the city on Saturday afternoon, October 24. Fire officials said every worker at the plant got out safely and no one was injured.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department said dispatchers received a call at 4:44 p.m. reporting an explosion and fire at the plant, which stands along the Cedar River near downtown. Firefighters who arrived at the scene found heavy smoke and flames coming from the north side of the building, and crews began work to put out the fire at once.

What crews found at the plant

Firefighters who entered the plant found what appeared to be evidence of an explosion followed by a fire, according to local reporting that cited the fire department. Plant personnel told officials that everyone had evacuated safely. Crowds gathered on the west side of the river to watch as smoke rose over the plant, and smoke was also visible from the Time Check neighborhood in northwest Cedar Rapids.

The Cedar Rapids department got help from fire departments in Marion and Hiawatha and from Linn County, along with Area Ambulance Service. Traffic was affected on Interstate 380 near the S curve as emergency vehicles worked at the plant, and a large column of black smoke stayed visible from across the city while crews fought the fire.

Most of the fire was out by early evening

Local television reporting said all plant workers had been accounted for by about 5:30 p.m. By 6:25 p.m., most of the fire was extinguished, and firefighters continued limited work inside the building to put out what remained. Crews were still at the scene at 6:30 p.m. Fire officials said no firefighters were injured during the response.

Fire officials said it was not yet clear what started the fire or caused the explosion, and they said the cause remained under investigation on Saturday night. Officials gave no word on Saturday about damage inside the plant or about when work at the plant would resume.

A landmark plant on the Cedar River

The Cedar Rapids plant is a longtime landmark on the city skyline and is known locally for the scent of Crunch Berries from the cereals made there. The plant produces Cap'n Crunch, Life cereal, Quaker Oats Squares, Pearl Milling Company pancake mix and syrup, and instant and standard Quaker oatmeal, and it has been described as the largest cereal mill in the world.

Oat milling on the site goes back to 1873, when a partnership started an oat mill in Cedar Rapids that later became known as the North Star Oatmeal Mills. The plant was rebuilt after major fires in 1888 and in 1905.