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Hundreds of workers still off following fire at Wallula Tyson plant

Tri-City Herald
Firefighters walk past several fire trucks from area departments Tuesday morning near the rendering division section of the Tyson Foods plant on Dodd Road near Burbank. The production line at the beef processing facility is temporarily halted because of an early morning fire in the building. No one was injured.
Firefighters walk past several fire trucks from area departments Tuesday morning near the rendering division section of the Tyson Foods plant on Dodd Road near Burbank. The production line at the beef processing facility is temporarily halted because of an early morning fire in the building. No one was injured. Bob Brawdy Tri-City Herald

At least 300 workers were told to stay home Wednesday after a fire damaged the rendering portion of the Wallula Tyson Foods plant on Tuesday.

About 1,100 other workers returned to work, said Caroline Ahn, public relations manager at Tyson Food.

Officials continue to assess damages at the plant as work continues on the processing floor, though no new animals are coming to the plant, she said.

“I think it’s going to take a few days,” she said. “It’s hard to tell with things going on at the plant to get a concrete timeline.”

The fire started about 4 a.m. in part of the facility where fat is separated from animals. No damage estimate or possible cause was released.

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 7:57 PM with the headline "Hundreds of workers still off following fire at Wallula Tyson plant."

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