Plant Explosion Rattles Town

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Plant Explosion Rattles Town

By Chuck Harmer

In Brewster, Minnesota people are now back in their homes after being forced to evacuate almost 24 hours ago.

A huge fire broke out late last night at the Minnesota Soybean Processors Plant. It's located in Brewster, which is about 15 minutes northeast of Worthington.

The fire was so big that the Nobles County sheriff's officials went to each and every house asking people to leave, including one mother KSFY Action News caught up with.

"When we woke up this morning it was really really a good feeling to know that everything was safe and we could go back home again," said Bibi Spartz of Brewster.

She and her daughter Breanna were rattled by the explosion. Breanna was babysitting at the time and could hear the explosions and see the fire from a mile away.

"Actually I was pretty petrified, like I didn't know what was going to happen," said Breanna. "I didn't know where we were going to go, so it was really intense."

Deputy State Fire Marshall Investigator Steve Kellen hasn't ruled what caused the fire and says the determination of the cause will continue throughout the week but the loss for the plant is substantial.

"In this case, just by crunching mental numbers that we've been given we're looking at this being a million dollar a day loss," said Kellen.

But the fire didn't cause any serious injuries and that's something that the town of Brewster is certainly thankful for.

"It is quite an experience and you really find out what a small town means to you too," said Bibi. "When we rounded the corner to church this morning and everybody was there again it was an awesome feeling."

If you see news happening, call KSFY Action News by phone at (605) 336-9999.

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