Apparent explosion and fire hit Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; no injuries, officials say

As of 7:09 a.m. ET, Oct. 25, 2026

An apparent explosion and fire struck the Quaker Oats plant in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon, and no one was hurt, city officials said.

Cedar Rapids police and firefighters were sent to the plant at about 4:45 p.m. local time (5:45 p.m. ET) for a reported explosion, The Gazette of Cedar Rapids reported, citing a fire department news release. Firefighters found heavy smoke and flames coming from the north side of the building, "along with evidence of an explosion," the department said, according to The Gazette.

All plant workers were accounted for as of 5:30 p.m. local time, and no firefighters were injured, the fire department said, The Gazette reported. By 5:55 p.m. the fire was considered under control, though not necessarily out, and crews were still working inside the building at 6:25 p.m., according to the department. Crews from Marion, Hiawatha and Linn County helped, The Gazette reported.

Mayor: blast was in a lightly staffed area

Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell said in a video statement from the scene that all Quaker Oats employees had been accounted for and no one was injured, The Gazette and The Associated Press reported. "This happened in an area of the plant that's kind of in the back, where I understand people fortunately typically aren't," O'Donnell said, according to The Gazette. "It's an area where product moves back and forth."

PepsiCo statement

PepsiCo Foods US, which owns the plant, said in a statement carried by The Gazette that "details of how the fire started will be investigated." "We can confirm all employees are accounted for, and we are grateful to the first responders who continue to operate at the facility to control the fire," the company said.

Quaker Oats says on its website that the Cedar Rapids plant is the largest milling facility in the world, processing more than 2 million pounds of oats a day, according to The Gazette and the AP.

What is not known

Officials have not said what caused the explosion or fire. The extent of damage to the plant and any effect on production were not clear, The Gazette reported.