Built-in technology helps put out Simplot fire Sunday
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 day, 6 hours AGO
Technology installed in a processing line contributed to extinguishing a fire at the Simplot Columbia Basin facility Sunday night.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | June 1, 2026 5:29 PM
MOSES LAKE — Technology built into processing machinery at a Moses Lake business helped extinguish a fire before it could spread Sunday night.
The fire at the Simplot – Columbia Basin processing facility, in the 2000 block of Road O Northeast, was reported at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Grant County Fire District 5 crews responded, but by the time they got there, the technology had done its work.
“On our arrival, there was no smoke. The fire was out,” said Kyle Parker, captain with GCFD 5.
Grant County Fire Marshal Nathan Poplawski said the fire started in a fryer that had not been cleaned properly during its previous production cycle.
“Leftover product and oil ignited,” Poplawski said.
That activated both the overhead sprinkler and the system inside the equipment.
“Inside the fryer itself, there’s fire suppression,” Poplawski said, which put out the fire.
Parker said GCFD 5 crews responded with six trucks and got assistance from the Moses Lake Fire Department. Fire crews monitored the scene to ensure the fire was out, he said.
Most GCFD crews were on the scene about two hours, although some remained until midnight, he said.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Built-in technology helps put out Simplot fire Sunday
MOSES LAKE — Technology built into processing machinery at a Moses Lake business helped extinguish a fire before it could spread Sunday night. The fire at the Simplot – Columbia Basin processing facility, in the 2000 block of Road O Northeast, was reported at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Grant County Fire District 5 crews responded, but by the time they got there, the technology had done its work. “On our arrival, there was no smoke. The fire was out,” said Kyle Parker, captain with GCFD 5. Grant County Fire Marshal Nathan Poplawski said the fire started in a fryer that had not been cleaned properly during its previous production cycle.
MLCA class of 2026 closes the door on high school
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Christian Academy salutatorian SanTahna Ferguson said graduation was the start of something new – something a little daunting, even. “We're adults now, the future of our generation. It’s kind of crazy to think that we're adults now – I mean, some of us still panic when ordering food over the phone,” she said. Ferguson was one of five seniors to receive her diploma during graduation ceremonies Saturday. She said one of the things she will take with her from high school is the friendship of her classmates.
Wenatchee Road fire briefly threatens nearby buildings
MOSES LAKE — A fire of about an acre threatened some homes and outbuildings but was extinguished within about 90 minutes by Grant County Fire District 5 and Moses Lake Fire Department crews late Sunday morning. The fire, in the 4000 block of Wenatchee Drive Northeast, was in an empty field between several residences, some with outbuildings. The fire was reported at about 11:30 a.m., said Kyle Parker, GCFD 5 captain. Crews contained the fire to the field, but one outbuilding was destroyed, Parker said.