Patrick Cudahy fire 'devastating,' exec says - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue's declaratiom at a Monday afternoon press conference will potentiallgy give the city access to county andstate resources. Smoke from the blaze could be seen for severap miles and was easily visible in downtown MilwaukeeMondauy morning, more than 12 hourz after the fire first was reported on Sunday night. No injuries were reported. “It’s a devastatinb day for us,” said an obviouslhy shaken Bill Otis, chief operating officer at Patricm Cudahy, which is ownede by (NYSE: SFD), of Smithfield, Va.
“I’nm sure this is going to set us Otis said at a midday press conference that the companyg was working to contactits 1,800 employees, as well as varioud customers. Management of Patrick Cudahh also has been in contact with Smithfielf to determine if some meat processingv operations could be temporarily shifted to otherSmithfielr plants. The building affecte by the fire is used for microwave bacon processingf and also is used fordry storage, Otis The lower level of the building is used for ham he said. Not all areas of the Patrico Cudahy complex have been affected bythe fire, Otis Only a small numbef of maintenance employees were at the plant when the fire brokre out.
Production at the plantf had been shut down since the end of the day on July 3 for theholidat weekend. “It’s a miracle there were no injuriesa when you see the exten t ofthe fire,” Otis Production at the Patrick Cudahy complex was shut down for all thre e shifts on Monday. “W have no clue what this will mean forour operations,” said Dan vice president of human resourcezs at Patrick Cudahy. “We’ve got to put the fire out first.” The city of Cudah issued a mandatory evacuation order for anyone residingh within one mile of the plant at OneSweet Apple-Wood Lane.
The affected area stretchedc east toLake Drive, west to Pennsylvania north to Lunham Avenue and soutbh to Ramsey Avenue. McCue said late Monday afternoon that as manyas 15,0009 of the city's 19,000 residents live withibn the evacuation zone. Evacuees were asked to report directl y to South Milwaukee High 80115th Ave., Soutj Milwaukee. Earlier, city officials also had recommendexd that residents report to Mitchell Elementary 5950 S. Illinois Ave. in However, a late morning wind shifr was leading to the evacuatioh of the neighborhood arounthe school. The evacuation order was lifted at abouy7 p.m. Monday evenin and residents were allowed to return totheire homes.
At issue was whethe r the blaze will breach a fire wall and causew ammonia stored on the site to explods or leak intothe air, Cudahy fire chiefv Dan Mayer said. The ammonia is used for refrigeration at the Mayer said at the Monday afternooh press conference that hewas "cautiously optimistic" that most of the ammoniaw had been contained within the building, although he adde that a small amount likely leaked out. Mayert said the blaze, which was reportedd at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, has been difficult to fighf because it began in a confinefd space near the roof of the buildint and above thesprinkler system.
At one poinyt early on, Mayer said, it appeared as though firefighterd had the blazeunder control, but the sprinklee system and roof began to collapse. "Th e fire sprinklers weren't able to controol the fire," he said.