Firefighters tackle a three-alarm fire at a domino candy in Baltimore on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
Steve Ruark | AP
A fire at the Domino Sugar factory poured white smoke over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Tuesday, but no injuries were immediately reported, a fire department spokeswoman said.
Chopper4 footage shows the factory’s storage dome collapsing.
A conveyor belt apparently carried a burning substance from a silo to other parts of the facility, said Blair Adams, spokeswoman for the Baltimore fire department. Fire and smoke came through the roof as firefighters arrived, and the silo collapsed after entering the building, according to the department.
Firefighters were still trying to put out the fire at the facility around 5 p.m., about two hours after responding to the three-alarm fire, Adams said.
All staff members were able to safely escape the building and no firefighters injuries were immediately reported, Adams said.
“All employees were considered,” added Adams.
After 3 p.m., flames were seen in a distance in a warehouse behind the waterfront refinery. In an aerial video, fire boats were seen pouring water from the harbor onto the fire.
The 99-year-old refinery, which employs 510 full-time employees and is in the process of replacing its massive, beloved “Domino Sugars” neon roof sign with a replica LED, processes around 6.5 million pounds of raw cane sugar every day. The Baltimore Sun reported.
American Sugar Refining, Inc., the owner of the Baltimore refinery, said in a statement that the cause of the fire is being investigated.
In November 2007, a violent explosion and fire forced the refinery to stand still for a week. The powdered sugar mill was declared a total loss.
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