2 injured in fire at Tyson plant
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NASHVILLE, AK (KTBS) — Firefighters are investigating a large fire that injured two people at a Tyson Foods Plant in southwest Arkansas.
The fire happened just after 2 a.m. Thursday morning at the Nashville plant just south of downtown. Nearly 40 firefighters responded.
Fire officials said the blaze started in the plant’s boiler room, which is about 100 feet from the main plant.
Company officials said two employees were injured. The extent of their injuries is not known; however, a Tyson spokesman said in a statement Thursday afternoon that both are in Little Rock receiving medical attention.
“Our hearts are with them and their families. Tyson Foods’ corporate chaplains are available to help assist the families with their needs,” the statement said. “We’re working with local fire departments to understand how the fire began in the boiler room, a building adjacent to the plant, early this morning. The cooking operations will be impacted until repairs can be made but much of the plant will continue to operate. Management will communicate directly to our team members about scheduling.”
Nashville Fire Chief Justin Thornton said the boiler room contained cooking oil, which created a challenge for fire crews.
“It was a very intense heat, so we wasn’t able to get guys with hand lines immediately up to it. We had to use our ladder truck, ground monitors and deck guns on top of the truck to be able to knock it down,” explained Thornton.
Multiple fire crews from the nearby area helped extinguish the fire just before 4 a.m.
Fire officials said there was a report of an explosion, but the cause is still under investigation.
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