Cargill plans to resume production at its Schuyler, Neb., beef processing plant following an ammonia leak and fire that stopped operations at the plant for two days.
Mike Martin, director of communications, said that plant management will meet with the US Department of Agriculture representatives to review the situation.
"That, combined with some electrical repairs that need to be made due to fire damage, led to a decision to cancel both shifts tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 7, with the goal of resuming production Saturday and running two shifts," Martin said. "We also have adequate inventory to fill customer orders."
The incident occurred during an early maintenance and sanitation shift at the plant. The plant was evacuated after employees noticed the odor of ammonia. A small fire was discovered roughly 15 minutes later in a crawl space between the ceiling and the roof above a section of the fabrication floor. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. No one was hurt.
