A late-Tuesday evening fire caused damage to the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Storm Lake, Iowa. All workers were evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
According to the news release from the Storm Lake Public Safety Department, local firefighters responded to a fire in the rendering area of the plant burning above one of the cookers at the east end of the pork processing plant. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the scene was stabilized within 30 minutes, the release said.
The Storm Lake firefighters traced the cause of the fire back to a mechanical failure in the cooker. Damage is expected to exceed $6,000, the release said.
Tyson officials said the plant was operational Wednesday. The plant employs around 1,700 workers. The company is planning a $30 million addition that will allow the plant to slaughter more hogs and store more products in coolers.
