An explosion and fire breaks out at the Quaker Oats factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; no injuries

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa– An apparent explosion caused a fire Saturday at a Quaker Oats plant in Iowa, which the company bills as the world’s largest flour mill. No one was injured, firefighters said.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department said firefighters responded to the call around 4:45 p.m. Videos and photos posted to social media showed black smoke above the downtown area of ​​about 140,000 residents.

The fire apparently started with an explosion, the department said via Facebook.

All workers escaped safely and were found without any injuries, Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a Facebook video.

The fire occurred in an area of ​​the building where products were being handled, O’Donnell said.

“There aren’t a lot of employees and team members. Which, of course, in this case was a blessing,” O’Donnell said.

No information was immediately available on the causes of the fire.

PepsiCo Foods US said in a statement that firefighters responded to the scene of the fire and that how it started would be investigated.

The Quaker Oats brand, through the Quaker Mill Company, will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2027. It is owned by PepsiCo.

The Quaker Oats plant is the largest flour mill in the world, processing more than 2 million pounds (900,000 kilograms) of oats daily, according to the company’s website.