Wisconsin meatpacking plant burns

CUDAHY, Wis., July 6 (UPI) -- A stubborn fire at a Cudahy, Wis., meatpacking plant Monday forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents within a mile radius, police said.

Nearly 100 firefighters worked through the night to contain the blaze at the Patrick Cudahy plant owned by Smithfield Foods of Smithfield, Va., the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday. There were no reported injuries.

Three years ago to the day, Sunday, a huge grease fire erupted in the oldest part of the plant when a welder's torch reportedly ignited a vat of grease, the Journal Sentinel reported.

The company, founded in 1888 by Irish immigrant Patrick Cudahy, was owned by his family until 1971 when it was sold to Bluebird Inc. of Philadelphia. England's Northern Foods bought Bluebird in 1980 and sold Cudahy to Smithfield Foods in 1984.

The plant, which produces precooked and traditional bacon, dry sausage, ham and sliced meats, employs about 1,900 workers, Smithfield said.