CTLINTON, Iowa - A firefighter was killed and another hurt while fighting a grain bin fire at ADM Grains in Clinton, Iowa Saturday morning.
According to a post by the Rock Island Fire Department, a fire was discovered in the silo storage bins at the ADM Grains loading facility in Clinton, Iowa. As firefighters were fighting the fire, there was an explosion.
33-year-old Lieutenant Eric Hosette was severely injured and taken to Mercy Medical where medical crews tried to revive him but were unsuccessful.
Hosette was a member of the Clinton Fire Department for 12 years, says Fire Chief Mike Brown.
"A fine man with a wife and daughter." Brown said.
The initial call was for a fire a discovered in the silo storage bins at the loading facility, around 5:45 a.m. reports KCRG-TV. The department's first-shift team stabilized the fire and handed the scene off to the second-shift crew around 7:00 a.m.
The explosion came nearly two hours later at 8:45 a.m. Brown said Adam Cain, another of the department's firefighters, was severely injured by the blast and taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment.
"He was flown to Iowa City, was out there this afternoon with his family," the fire chief said. "He is very critical, but he is stable at this time."
In a statement, ADM, a global food processing and commodities trading company, said it was sending thoughts and prayers to the families of the brave firefighters.
“They put their lives in danger every day, and it's hard to express how much we appreciate their selfless help in a time of need," read the statement. "We greatly appreciate the quick response, bravery and dedication of all of the emergency responders today. We are deeply saddened at the turn of events."
The cause of the fire and subsequent explosion are still under investigation. City Administrator Matt Brooke said he couldn't go into much further detail, but acknowledged the company would be working with authorities to determine what went wrong at the Clinton facility.