Another Fire Burns a Kansas Beef Packing Plant

DODGE CITY, KS – Just one month after a fire at a Cargill beef packing plant in Southwest Kansas, an explosion rocked the same plant on Thursday morning. According to the Kansas State Network (KSN), the 3 AM explosion injured two workers and closed the plant for a short time. Cattle markets reacted with concern, especially on the heels of a major fire that closed another packing plant near Holcombe (KS) in August. That fire took out a harvesting facility handling 6,000 head per day, or 5 percent of the nation’s capacity. The Tyson plant has been undergoing major renovations and is expected to reopen soon. In the meantime, other plants across the country have stepped up to fill the void. According to news reports, the Cargill plant is still operational and is expected to continue operating at full capacity this week.