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Warehouse fire hits hopsSome resin-loaded hop varieties can self-heat, spontaneously combust YAKIMA, Washington (AP)--Firefighters battled a blaze at a 40,000-square-foot hop warehouse operated by one of the industry leaders while industry insiders began to assess the fire's possible impact on the global hop market. The fire broke out at the S.S. Steiner Inc. warehouse shortly before noon Oct. 2 and by mid-afternoon had engulfed most of the building, sending plumes of smoke and the pungent aroma of hops into the city. S.S. Steiner is part of the Germany-based Steiner Group, one of the largest international hop growing, trading and processing companies in the world. The company's Yakima enterprise manages its North American hop buying and processing, according to the company website. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, though fires have been a perennial, expensive problem at hop warehouses. Some resin-loaded hop varieties are known to "self-heat" or spontaneously combust once baled. Company President Paul Signorotti declined comment Oct. 2. The United States produces 24 percent of the world's hops, which are used to brew beer. The vast majority are grown in the Pacific Northwest, in particular central Washington's Yakima Valley. Steiner is one of the larger growers in the valley, said Ann George, administrator of the Washington Hops Commission, an industry marketing group funded by member fees. "They handle a large volume of the crop, but they have multiple warehouses," George said. "Depending on what variety or varieties were involved in this incident, if it was a variety that was already in short supply, that could have an impact on price and availability." The number of bales in the building and their value were not immediately known. Hop growers and brewers will celebrate their industry Oct. 7 in Yakima during the Fourth Annual Fresh Hop Ale Festival, which features live music, food and about a dozen microbreweries that use Yakima hops straight from the vine to create their ale. Date: 10/26/06
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