Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Wisconsin meatpacking plant burns

|
|
 
  
Published: July 6, 2009 at 11:27 AM

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.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade The making of the Oscars
The Chicago Auto Show The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Tu Bishvat Migron settlement
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
You don't have to be too smart to coach high school sports. Just smart enough to not post nude photos...
There's vandalizing your school, and then there's doing a million dollars damage to your school
Police say Taylor Burnham, 18, was only wearing cowboy boots as she led police on a Sunday morning...
If you're working as a dog groomer and accidentally chop off a dog's ear, don't try to glue it back,...
After a two-year sting operation, the Feds shut down ... an Amish farm. Another victory in the war...
High school coach retires at 65 after getting arrested nude, "aroused" in car backseat with 17-year-old...