Operations were disrupted at the Tyson Foods cooked poultry plant in Green Forest, Arkansas, after a fire broke out there during the afternoon of January 11.
Green Forest Fire Chief Tim Howard told WATT Global Media the fire, which was reported at 3:48 p.m., appeared to have started in “a drum that separates the breader from the oil,” and is believed to have started by accident. The fire was contained to just one room, and estimates on how much damage was done have not been concluded.
According to an email sent the following morning from Tyson Foods spokesman Worth Sparkman, the company is investigating the fire.
“Employees were evacuated and, thankfully, no one was hurt. We appreciate the quick response of local firefighters who assisted our team,” Sparkman stated.
Tyson Foods has two facilities in Green Forest, and according to Howard, the fire occurred at the company’s newer plant in the community.
About the plant
Tyson Foods built the newer plant across the street from the pre-existing plant with the intent of increasing the partially cooked capacity in Green Forest, while increasing efficiency by reducing the costs of transporting products to other locations for further processing. The chicken products processed in Green Forest are for foodservice and retail customers and include chicken nuggets and portioned filets.
At the time Tyson Foods announced its plans to build the second facility in Green Forest, it stated the facility would measure more than 200,000 square feet and would be connected to the existing plant by a corridor.
Tyson Foods, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, processed 174.29 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2016, making it the largest broiler company in the United States. It is also the fifth largest turkey processor in the United States, having slaughtered 334 million pounds of live turkeys in 2016.
