A hemp processing facility in Kentucky has been left counting its losses after an explosion and fire broke out on Thursday night, causing significant structural damage to the facility. According to authorities, the fire at GenCanna hemp processing facility was reported at around 8.15 p.m. Although there were several employees inside the facility at the time of the incident, no one was injured. Clark County Fire Chief Ernie Barnes said that the cause of the explosion and fire is still under investigation.
He said that the Winchester Fire Department, Kentucky State Police and State Fire Marshal’s Office assisted with the response to the fire, and they will also be involved in the subsequent investigation. “Our initial crews just did an outstanding job to knock the flames down,” he said, adding that they finished putting out the fire at about 2 a.m. Friday night. The Lexington Fire Department sent crews to help cover other calls in the area while County Clark personnel concentrated on the GenCanna fire.
The section of the facility that caught fire is where the CBD extract is purified, and Barnes says it suffered a fair amount of structural damage. Another smaller building that’s connected to the main building where the fire broke out sustained some water and smoke damage too. “They do use some different chemicals in their refining process, so that made us a little extra cautious, and then just due to the structural damage we had to make sure that it was safe for our crews to work in,” said Barnes, referring to the labs that caught fire.
The Kentucky State Police’s arson investigator was called to inspect the scene. The Kentucky State Police, Winchester Fire Department, and the State Fire Marshal will work together to find out the cause of the explosion and the resultant fire. GenCanna Executive Vice President Gary Broadbent said that the company’s management and employees express their sincere gratitude to the Winchester Fire and Police Department for their quick and effective action. “They went above and beyond the call of duty, and we are eternally grateful.” He added that the non-managerial employees at the fire-damaged building were not required to report to work on Friday, but they will be paid for the regular shift.
The hemp processor employs 160 workers at its Winchester facility, and it is one of the first members of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program.
It is widely believed that when one member of the hemp industry suffers a setback as that which befell the processor in Kentucky, all others, including LiveWire Ergogenics Inc. (OTC: LVVV) and Dama Financial, are deeply saddened because the hemp industry is a closely knit family.
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