Fire nearly destroys Ivanhoe packinghouse

IVANHOE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A longtime Tulare County packinghouse was nearly destroyed after a fire and propane tank explosion.

The fire started around 1 a.m. Wednesday on Road 156 and Avenue 336 in the town of Ivanhoe.

Fire investigators spent the afternoon surveying the damage from the massive fire and propane explosion at Philips Farms. As they work to find out the cause, they're sure the fire started on the north side of the building by some plastic fruit containers. It spread to a cold storage facility, destroying all the fruit inside, including quince, kiwis and Asian pears.

"They were going to be packing fruit here this morning at 7:30, and we have several of them showing up concerned too because they're not going to be able to back fruit here for quite a while," said Doug Phillips, owner of Phillips Farms.

Phillips says they're in the middle of a busy harvesting season and may have to look to competitors to help them pick and pack fruit. He's worried about putting all of his employees out of work.

"It's hitting us from every direction I guess, but we have friends and I think we'll get some help getting some of the fruit packed and marketed," said Phillips.

While Phillips figures out how his business will move on, firefighters show Action News the damage left behind after the fire spread to one of two propane tanks in the back, causing it to explode.

"The tank did in fact blow. There was a piece of it probably a quarter mile out into the orchard," said Battalion Chief Jeff Newton with the Tulare County Fire Department.

Newton says it was the kind of explosion that kills firefighters. He's thankful they heard the warning signs and backed off so no one was hurt.

The blast sent flames 60 feet into the air. All of the building, except for the front office, is a total loss. In fact, the building continued to send smoke into the air more than 15 hours later.

"All the smoke you see is because there's hot spots below all the roofing material and all that siding material it's all metal siding that came down on top of it," said Newton.

Investigators believe the fire caused several million dollars in damage.

PHOTO: The Tulare County Fire Department had to bring in a portable tank due to lack of water to help fight the fire.