Several injured in explosion at ADM plant in Decatur in Illinois

"Our priority is providing our injured colleagues and their families support," said ADM.

The main fire was extinguished overnight, said the US agribusiness giant, in an updated statement on Monday, September 11. "We are continuing to closely monitor and assess the extent of the damage to the complex as we investigate the cause of the incident."

The East plant, which produces soybean oil and white flake for soybean protein production, is currently not operational, and the adjacent corn processing plant is also temporarily down until the company can "safely resume operations." 

There are three distinct plants within the Decatur complex, connected to each other by pipelines, and 4,000 employees work at the location.  

Last year ADM announced it was investing roughly $300m to scale up production of alternative proteins at the complex. The project, expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2025, will increase its soy protein concentrate capacity and nearly double extrusion capacity at the site.