An early-morning fire at the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative processing plant in Belle Glade drew a second-alarm response from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue on Tuesday, with crews arriving just after 5:30 a.m. at 1500 George Wedgworth Way. Firefighters tracked the blaze to the structure where it started and concentrated their suppression efforts there until the flames were brought under control. No injuries were reported, and investigators remained on scene to determine what caused the fire.
Second alarm and response
The second alarm brought in additional units as crews worked across multiple structures at the sprawling sugar facility, according to WPBF 25 News. The outlet reports that firefighters were able to locate the origin point of the blaze and hit it strategically before officials declared the incident under control. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue investigators stayed on site to begin the work of figuring out what sparked the fire.
What the Belle Glade plant does
The facility at 1500 George Wedgworth Way is the Glades Sugar House, operated by the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. The cooperative’s website says the plant produces more than 400,000 tons of raw sugar each year, enough that once refined it can meet the average annual demand of more than nine million people. The cooperative describes the complex as a mill and processing operation that handles crushing, boiling and raw-sugar production. A 2025 EPA Title V permit filing describes the site as a sugar mill, boiling house and fiber-products plant with six boilers and bagasse storage, details that help explain why firefighters focused on the structure where the fire began.
Community context and next steps…