Hemp plant explodes in Oregon, video shows. 5 workers injured as town evacuates

A town in Oregon was forced to evacuate after explosions at a hemp plant injured five employees, according to deputies.

At around 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 20, Grass Valley residents were asked to evacuate after deputies were concerned that “chemicals might explode” at the plant, according to a Facebook post by the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies confirmed at about 6:30 p.m. that five employees had burns from small explosions, according to a Facebook post. One “suffered significant burns.”

The building remained “burning and fully engulfed” three hours after the explosions, deputies said.

They decided to evacuate the town after learning of a “large volume of combustible chemicals and the possibility of a large explosion,” according to the Facebook post.

At around 8:30 p.m. the sheriff’s office posted an update to Facebook saying the evacuation would “remain in effect through the night.”

The American Red Cross set up an overnight shelter at Sherman High School in nearby Moro, according to KOIN.

It is unclear what started the fire, but deputies said they plan on investigating further during the daylight on Nov. 21.

Grass Valley is about 120 miles east of Portland.

This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Hemp plant explodes in Oregon, video shows. 5 workers injured as town evacuates."