Grain elevator explosion rocks Royal

A quiet summer afternoon in Royal quickly transformed into a crisis situation Tuesday that drew in emergency personnel from across the area.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., an explosion occurred in one of Ag Partners' cement elevators on the north side of Royal. The blast could be heard across town and scattered debris throughout the area immediately surrounding the business.

Royal resident Rich Green was on Main Street at the gas station when the explosion occurred. He said "the whole building shook" and immediately ran outside to investigate the commotion.

"All I could see was this big flame," he said. "The explosion shook the whole town. First, there was this squealing noise, then two loud booms. It sounded like a double-barreled shotgun going off, both triggers pulled."

The area north of Main Street near Ag Partners was evacuated shortly thereafter, and the entire town was left without power for a short period of time so crews could turn off electricity to the elevator. Gas to the business was also shut off. Ag Partners itself immediately enacted emergency evacuation procedures, according to Royal Mayor Josh Toft.

"The response from the sheriff's department, our fire department and volunteers from other communities was just incredible," he said. "Ag Partners' emergency response plan was so well organized and incredible. You could tell they had practiced. It was very impressive to watch, and it was almost calming."

No injuries were reported. The cause of the explosion has not been determined; however, a news release from Ag Partners on Wednesday acknowledged the Royal elevator experienced "a grain dust incident."

"That's still a question I haven't heard the answer to," Toft said of the cause. "You have a lot of dust when you're in a setting like that, but nobody has said for sure. I heard a lot different things. That's something ultimately Ag Partners will have to release."

Brent Low, vice president of agronomy and corporate marketing at Ag Partners, said the incident is under investigation. He did not have any additional information to provide.

"We're just beginning the process," he said Wednesday morning. "We just don't know. Some of this takes time. We need to get the right people in there with the right expertise to assess the damage."

Low said more information will be released as it becomes available. He was grateful nobody was injured and thanked emergency personnel for their fast response.

"They've been just phenomenal," he said.

Both corn and soybeans were being stored in the elevator at the time of the explosion. Low said Ag Partners was bringing in an engineer to inspect the elevator's structural integrity.

Toft said a crew was brought in to punch a hole in the bottom of the elevator to remove the remaining grain and reduce flammable material. Black smoke could be seen billowing from the elevator for hours after the explosion, and flames were still present very early Wednesday morning. Low said the fire had been extinguished by mid-morning.

Video of the explosion was captured by a nearby security camera. Smoke can be seen shooting from the top of the structure, immediately followed by a massive burst of fire that sent debris hurtling through the air. The scene resembled an erupting volcano.

The fact that nobody was hurt stunned Toft.

"We're very lucky there," he said. "It's a miracle. Unbelievable."