Hot, dry May winds ignite almond hull piles in east Stanislaus County
Black smoke billowing from a rural area of eastern Stanislaus County was visible for miles on Sunday and led many to wonder what was going on. On Monday, the Modesto Fire Department reported that two heaps of almond hulls ignited in Hickman but that no threat to surrounding health or property existed.
On Sunday, two hull piles “self-combusted” at Ken Braden’s almond operation on the 1300 block of Meickle Road. The black smoke everyone saw, Braden said, was actually the result of a burning pile of tires that was ignited by the hull fire. The tires were extinguished later in the day.
What caused the initial fire was the hot, dry wind and nature’s perfect kindling. Braden’s operation removes the shells, or hulls, of almonds before they’re processed for consumption. The hulls are then stored in piles until they’re disposed of or repurposed.
“There’s really no way to prevent it,” Braden said, referring to the fire. “Yesterday was just way crazy, out-of-control winds.”
Braden added the fire has to burn itself out because water cannot be added to the piles. Adding more moisture, the huller said, would compact the material. Because it’s already smoldering, a more compact hull pile is prone to another ignition, once the moisture evaporates.
MFD stated there was “minimal threat to nearby properties,” but that as a precaution, firefighters with Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District are keeping in touch with Braden’s employees, who are monitoring the smolder. Braden stated he met with a couple of neighbors to assure them the smoke was harmless.
“It’s just as safe as a bonfire in your backyard,” said Braden.
Sandra Richmond, who owns a home adjacent to Braden’s hulling site, confirmed the smoke was “really bad” for a couple of hours on Sunday during the tire fire, but that it was much better by Monday. The homeowner said it never got to the point where she considered evacuating.
The almond hull smolder will only disperse a thin, harmless white smoke, “like a fine mist,” but will definitely burn for several days, according to Braden. How long the smolder will continue depends on wind, humidity and heat.
