Fire engulfs pellet warehouse at US port of Brunswick

A fire broke out at a wood pellet warehouse at the US port of Brunswick, Georgia, on 2 May, resulting in the collapse of the unit, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) confirmed.

There were approximately 20,000t of wood pellets in the warehouse at the time of the fire, US producer Fram Renewables said. The incident was described as an "explosion" in the warehouse by the Savannah Fire Department.

The fire was contained to just one warehouse, and the cause is currently being investigated, Fram Renewables said. Firefighters in the region continued to pump water throughout Monday and into the evening to contain the blaze.

Fram's operations will continue, utilising the other warehouses at the terminal, it added.

Montreal-based terminal operator Logistec completed construction of two aluminium wood pellet warehouses in October 2016. The warehouses were built following a fire that destroyed the two previous units at the port in July 2015.

There were small fires at the port in October 2018 and April 2019, resulting in water damage to "several" thousand tonnes of wood pellets.

By Jamie Aldridge