LINKWOOD, MD. — A fire broke out at Valley Proteins’ Linkwood, Md., plant on Aug. 6 around 7:30 p.m. Estimated damages totaled $3.5 million, according to a press release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal declared the source of the fire to have begun in the electrical service area of a product processing room. The cause is still under investigation.

Employees discovered the fire Sunday evening, and 50 firefighters came to the scene to extinguish the flames. They fought the fire for one and a half hours.

No injuries or deaths were reported.

“The facility is running, and we expect to resume full operations early next week,” said Jillian Fleming, director of global communications at Darling Ingredients, the parent company of Valley Proteins. “We continue to work closely with our suppliers and industry peers to minimize impact to the meat-processing industry.”

Valley Proteins, which employs around 1,900 workers and operates a fleet of 550 vehicles, was acquired by Darling Ingredients in May 2022.