1 tonne of raw soybeans caught fire in Hamilton's north end

Hamilton firefighters had to battle a fire burning one tonne of raw soybeans at the Bunge plant in the city's north end.

The soybeans were in a dryer when they caught fire around 12:40 p.m. at 515 Victoria Ave. N., said Claudio Mostacci, fire department spokesperson. The fire broke out at the base of the Escher Wyss Dryer building and spread through the building to the top floor. 

The soybeans are dried so workers can extract their oil and use it for products such as margarine.

The beans caught fire, and now, "you can see white smoke or steam coming out of the top (of the building)," Mostacci said on Thursday afternoon. The beans have also been difficult to extinguish.

The plant's roughly 60 employees were evacuated.