VIDEO: On Monday, a soybean dryer caught fire at Gibson City’s IFF plant. From fearless fire crews to generous community members, all hands were on deck.
Firefighters are using some heavy-duty equipment to get inside of the soybean dryer. They said it took hours to put out the flames, and on Tuesday, they were keeping a close eye on it since the facility was still smoldering.
People made sure first responders had food and were staying hydrated for the seven-hour ordeal.
Gibson City has seen their fair share of fires in the past couple of years. A downtown building burned down in 2022, and last year a fire tore through an apartment building on the same street.
Fire Chief Bruce Kallal said they arrived at the scene just before 1 p.m., and the giant structure made the fire tough to battle. Firefighters had to use long ladders just to reach the flames. They got help from nine other departments.