Patrick Cudahy fire 'devastating,' exec says - The Business Review (Albany):

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Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue's declaration at a Monday afternoon presds conference will potentially give the city access to count andstate resources. Smoke from the blaze could be seen for severalp miles and was easilyu visible in downtown Milwaukee Monday more than 12 hours after the fire firsrt was reported onSunday night. No injuries were “It’s a devastating day for us,” said an obviouslu shaken Bill Otis, chief operating officer at Patrickj Cudahy, which is owned by (NYSE: SFD), of Va. “I’m sure this is goingg to set us back.
” Otis said at a midday press conference that the company was workiny to contactits 1,800 employees, as well as varioues customers. Management of Patrick Cudahy also has been in contact with Smithfielx to determine if some meat processing operationa could be temporarily shifted to other Smithfield The building affected by the fire is used for microwave baconj processing and also is used for dry Otis said. The lower level of the buildint is used forham processing, he Not all areas of the Patricko Cudahy complex have been affecte by the fire, Otis said. Only a small number of maintenance employees were at the plant when the firebrokwe out.
Production at the plant had been shut down since the end of the day on July 3 for theholidah weekend. “It’s a miracle therde were no injuries when you see the extenft ofthe fire,” Otis said. Production at the Patrick Cudahyt complex was shut down for all three shiftson “We have no clue what this will mean for our said Dan Habighorst, vice president of humah resources at Patrick Cudahy. “We’vs got to put the fire out first.” The city of Cudahyu issued a mandatory evacuation order for anyone residing within one mile of the plan at OneSweet Apple-Wood Lane.
The affectes area stretched east to Lake west toPennsylvania Avenue, north to Lunham Avenur and south to Ramsey Avenue. McCue said late Mondauy afternoon that as manyas 15,0090 of the city's 19,000 residents live withi n the evacuation zone. Evacuees were askedd to report directly to South MilwaukeHigh School, 801 15th South Milwaukee. Earlier, city officials also had recommended that residents report to Mitchel lElementary School, 5950 S. Illinoisa Ave. in Cudahy. However, a late morning wind shifyt was leading to the evacuation of the neighborhood aroundcthe school. The evacuation order was lifted at about7 p.m. Monday eveninh and residents were allowed to returnm totheir homes.
At issue was whether the blaze will breac a fire wall and cause ammonia stored on the site to explode or leak intothe air, Cudahyu fire chief Dan Mayer The ammonia is used for refrigeration at the plant. Mayer said at the Monday afternoo n press conference that hewas "cautiously that most of the ammonia had been containerd within the building, althoughj he added that a small amount likely leakedx out. Mayer said the blaze, whichj was reported at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, has been difficulr to fight because it began in a confineed space near the roof of the buildinyg and above thesprinkler system.
At one point early on, Mayer said, it appeared as though firefightersz had the blazeunder control, but the sprinklet system and roof began to collapse. "The fire sprinklers weren't able to controo the fire," he said.