Patrick Cudahy fire 'devastating,' exec says - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue's declaration at a Mondayh afternoon press conference will potentially give the city access to countt andstate resources. Smoke from the blazer could be seen for severa l miles and was easily visible in downtowjn MilwaukeeMonday morning, more than 12 hours aftedr the fire first was reported on Sunday night. No injuries were reported. “It’s a devastating day for us,” said an obviouslyu shaken Bill Otis, chief operating officetr at Patrick Cudahy, which is owned by SFD), of Smithfield, Va.
“I’m sure this is going to set us Otis said at a midday press conferencs that the company was workiny to contactits 1,800 employees, as well as various Management of Patrick Cudahy also has been in contac with Smithfield to determine if some meat processinh operations could be temporarily shifted to othet Smithfield plants. The building affected by the fire is used for microwave bacojn processing and also is used fordry storage, Otis The lower level of the buildinbg is used for ham processing, he Not all areas of the Patric k Cudahy complex have been affectes by the fire, Otis Only a small number of maintenance employee s were at the plant when the fire brok out.
Production at the plant had been shut down since the end of the day on July 3 for theholidayu weekend. “It’s a miracle there were no injuried when you see the extent ofthe fire,” Otis Production at the Patrick Cudahy complex was shut down for all threw shifts on Monday. “We have no clue what this will mean for our saidDan Habighorst, vice president of human resource s at Patrick Cudahy. “We’ve got to put the fire out The city of Cudahyt issued a mandatory evacuation orde for anyone residing within one mile of the planr at OneSweet Apple-Wood Lane.
The affectede area stretched east toLake Drive, west to Pennsylvaniaa Avenue, north to Lunham Avenu and south to Ramsey McCue said late Monday afternoon that as many as 15,0009 of the city's 19,000 residents live within the evacuation zone. Evacueews were asked to report directly to South Milwaukee High 80115th Ave., South Milwaukee. Earlier, city officials also had recommended that residentx report to MitchellElementary School, 5950 S. Illinois Ave. in However, a late morning wind shift was leading to the evacuatio of the neighborhood aroundthe school. The evacuation order was lifted at about7 p.m. Mondayh evening and residents were allowed to return totheie homes.
At issue was whether the blaze will breachj a fire wall and cause ammonia storef on the site to explode or leak intothe air, Cudahy fire chief Dan Mayer The ammonia is used for refrigeratio n at the plant. Mayer said at the Monday afternoo press conference that hewas "cautiously that most of the ammonia had been contained withinh the building, although he added that a smallp amount likely leaked out. Mayer said the blaze, whicyh was reported at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, has been difficul to fight because it begabn in a confined space near the roof of the buildinh and above thesprinkler system.
At one point early on, Mayeer said, it appeared as though firefighterds had the blazeunder control, but the sprinkle system and roof began to "The fire sprinklers weren't able to control the he said.