Fire Breaks Out At Baltimore's Domino Sugar Facility

BALTIMORE, MD — After nine hours and with midnight approaching, a fire was still burning Tuesday night at the Domino Sugar facility, located 1100 block of Key Highway East in Baltimore's Locust Point neighborhood. Firefighters said they had the blaze under control, though WJZ reported crews were expecting to be on the scene much of the night.

The fire was first reported at around 3 p.m., and for much of the late afternoon, flames and heavy smoke were visible from points around the Inner Harbor.

The Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) said all Domino employees self evacuated the building and were accounted for and uninjured, which was confirmed later in a statement by American Refining INC, owner of the refinery.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the fire originated in the area of a sugar storage shed, or silo, which partially collapsed. The fire then traveled midway through a sugar refinery on a conveyor belt.

Crews fighting the blaze were assisted by a BCFD Fire Boat, which brought additional water supply.

Police officers shut down East Key Highway while crews battled the fire.

Late Tuesday, American Sugar Refining, INC's statement confirmed many of the details already known about the fire. The company said the refinery was not currently operating while the fire department was on the scene and that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

The Baltimore Sun reported that the Domino refinery is 99 years old, employs 510 full-time workers and processes about 6.5 million pounds of raw can sugar a day.

The Domino facility also had a fire in November 2007, when an explosion and subsequent blaze forced the refinery to shut down for a week. Three workers suffered minor injuries in the fire, which was believed to have been caused by a buildup of sugar dust. The powdered sugar mill was declared a total loss after the incident.

Domino had been in the news in recent months. On March 1, the company's iconic "Domino Sugars" sign, which sits atop a building near the site of Tuesday's fire, went dark in order to undergo renovation.

After 70 years, the sign was showing signs of wear. The company announced the sign would get structural repairs, new letters and an LED border designed to mimic the look of neon. The new sign is expected to be unveiled for the Fourth of July.