Fire at Quincy seed plant contained

QUINCY - A stack of seed bins between two buildings ignited a fire Wednesday morning, causing damage to a Quincy seed plant.

Two buildings at Alf Christianson Seed Co., 705 Division St. E., sustained moderate damage.

Grant County Fire District No. 3 Chief Don Fortier said that the fire was "fully involved upon our arrival."

The bins were between two buildings, the one to the west receiving substantial damage.

"It looks worse than it is, but it's mostly cosmetic," plant supervisor Pat Saum said, adding that several pieces of equipment sustained some damage. "But none of our seed was in the fire. We didn't take a loss on that."

The eastern building experienced some exterior damage as well.

Representatives from the Burlington-based seed company's headquarters did not respond to interview requests.

Crews from Grant County Fire District Nos. 3 and 13, as well as some trucks from Ephrata Fire Department, a total of nearly 40 personnel, spent more than an hour extinguishing the blaze.

The call came in around 4 a.m.

Quincy Junior High School and Quincy High School, just across the street, were not harmed.

Fortier said the cause is still under investigation.