Fire Causes $2M in Damages to Idaho Hop Shed

Fire officials in Wilder, Idaho, are puzzling over the cause of a fire that destroyed an estimated $2 million worth of hops and machinery used to dry the pine-cone like flowers.

The fire Sunday night ignited in one of several hop driers in a barn outside the southwest Idaho city.

Wilder Fire Chief Doug Amick says the fire spread quickly and forced firefighters to focus on keeping the flames from spreading to other structures.

Hops grow all across southwestern Idaho and are a key ingredient in the brewing of beer, lending bitterness and aromatic qualities.

Amick declined to identify the farmer suffering the loss or the brewing company who had contracted for the hops.