The CEO of Underwood Fruit and Warehouse says the damage suffered at the company’s Bingen facility in a fire that started Wednesday is substantial. Don Gibson says packed fruit storage for a couple hundred thousand boxes, a state of the art pear packing line, and another small line for varietals, adding the cost of replacement would be in the tens of millions of dollars. Fruit lost in the fire was ready for shipping, with Gibson adding most of the pears and apples at the Bingen site are in outside storage areas, and they are working on plans for packing those. Gibson said they lost two-thirds of the production capability and about a fourth of the storage on the site. Gibson points out the fire may burn for days because with the combination of fruit, wood, and other materials. He emphasized they will rebuild, noting the company recently purchased another five acres immediately to the east side of the Bingen site for expansion. The company employs about 270 workers at the site. According to its website, Underwood Fruit and Warehouse packs and ships for 55 area growers. The company was formed in 1917 by seven local growers.