A fire that started Friday night at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Finney County, Kan., was put under control mid-morning Saturday, according to the Garden City Police Department. However, officials are remaining on the scene in case there are flare-ups.
Approximately 1,200 Tyson employees were on the job Friday night when the fire started. There are no reports of serious injury.
“The plant will be down indefinitely until we can assess the damage,” according to a statement from Tyson.
According to a Tyson spokesman, about 3,800 people work at the plant near Holcomb, Kan.
In a prepared statementreleased Saturday, Gov. Laura Kelly said, "Our agencies are prepared to coordinate support for Tyson and its workers as needed during this challenging time.”
A 2001 fire at a Con Agra beef processing plant in nearby Garden City, Kan., cost 2,300 workers their jobs after the facility was shuttered following the blaze.
*Statement from Tyson Foods, Saturday, 2:45 p.m.*
We’re grateful no one was hurt during the fire at our Holcomb, Kansas, beef plant Friday night. We appreciate the hard work, dedication and quick response from the Holcomb and Garden City fire departments, as well as the Finney County sheriff’s office. The plant will be down indefinitely while we fully assess the damage. We know our team members have a lot of questions, so we’re asking the news media to help spread the word that we will be having informational meetings with team members at the facility on Monday to discuss the situation. Please consider publishing the following information: To Tyson Foods Team Members Please report on Monday, 8/12/19 to respective cafeterias at the following times: A Harvest and A Processing: 6:00 a.m. B Harvest and B Processing: 3:00 p.m. A MH, Freezer, and PBX: 10:00 a.m. B MH, Freezer, and PBX: 7:00 p.m. A Hides (in Hides break room): 11 a.m. B Hides (in Hides break room): 1 p.m.
*Garden City Police Update, 1 p.m. Saturday*