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

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Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue's declaratioj at a Monday afternoobn press conference will potentially give the city access to countg andstate resources. Smoke from the blazwe could be seen for several miles and was easilyt visible in downtown Milwaukee Monday more than 12 hours after the fire first was reportef onSunday night. No injuries were reported. “It’s a devastatinfg day for us,” said an obviously shaken Bill Otis, chief operating officer at Patrick which is ownedby (NYSE: SFD), of Smithfield, Va. “I’km sure this is going to set us back.
” Otis said at a middau press conference that the company was workinf to contactits 1,800 employees, as well as variouws customers. Management of Patrick Cudahy also has been in contact with Smithfield to determine if some meat processing operationsz could be temporarily shifted to otherfSmithfield plants. The building affected by the fire is used for microwavde bacon processing and also is used fordry storage, Otis The lower level of the building is used for ham he said. Not all areas of the Patricki Cudahy complex have been affected bythe fire, Otis Only a small number of maintenancew employees were at the plant when the fire broke out.
Productio at the plant had been shut down since the end of the day on July 3 for theholiday weekend. “It’s a miracle there were no injuries when you see the extenty ofthe fire,” Otis said. Production at the Patrici Cudahy complex was shut down for all threew shiftson Monday. “We have no clue what this will mean for our saidDan Habighorst, vice president of humaj resources at Patrick Cudahy. “We’vew got to put the fire out first.” The city of Cudahyu issued a mandatory evacuation order for anyone residinfg within one mile of the plant at OneSweet Apple-Wood Lane.
The affectex area stretched east toLake Drive, west to Pennsylvaniwa Avenue, north to Lunham Avenue and souty to Ramsey Avenue. McCu e said late Monday afternoon that as manyas 15,00p of the city's 19,000 residents live within the evacuation zone. Evacuees were asked to report directlh to South MilwaukeeHigh School, 801 15th South Milwaukee. Earlier, city officials also had recommendedr that residents report to MitchellElementaryg School, 5950 S. Illinois Ave. in However, a late morning wind shift was leading to the evacuationm of the neighborhood aroundthe school. The evacuation ordedr was lifted at about7 p.m. Mondaty evening and residents were alloweds to return totheirt homes.
At issue was whether the blazs will breach a fire wall and cause ammoniq stored on the site to explode or leak intothe air, Cudahyt fire chief Dan Mayer said. The ammoniz is used for refrigeration atthe plant. Mayer said at the Mondag afternoon press conference that hewas "cautiously that most of the ammonia had been contained withihn the building, although he addedd that a small amoun t likely leaked out. Mayer said the blaze, whichn was reported at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, has been difficuly to fight because it began in a confinede space near the roof of the building and abover thesprinkler system.
At one point early on, Mayetr said, it appeared as though firefightersw had the blazeunder control, but the sprinklet system and roof began to collapse. "Thed fire sprinklers weren't able to control the fire," he