City of Grass Valley evacuates from explosion at bio plant

Fire at hemp facility leads to explosion and Level 3 evacuation order

GRASS VALLEY – Frontier Regional 911 issued an emergency Level 3 evacuation order for residents of Grass Valley on November 20, 2022 at 3:30 PM.

Grass Valley residents were told to go to the Fire Hall in Moro.

The explosion stemmed from a fire at the bio plant in Grass Valley – a hemp production facility.

There have been no reports of injury.

Evergreen State Holdings / GVB Biopharma has operated a hemp facility in Grass Valley since 2017. The company was recently acquired by 22nd Century Group in May.

The facility is one of the biggest employers in Sherman County and is known for making distilled products from hemp.

CBD became a popular product with high market values in 2017. The product is not psychoactive and many believe it helps with pain relief.

The production process involves distilling hemp under high heat and like any distilled product, carries a risk of fire.

The facility is regularly inspected by OSHA and has been cited by Oregon Building Codes for violations.

Recently, the facility in Grass Valley began producing CBGa, a fairly new product made by distilling hemp at high temperatures.