COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — No injuries were reported in a fire at a Tyson Foods Inc. meat plant in Council Bluffs on March 21, thanks largely to alert maintenance workers and an effective sprinkler system.

“About 1:00 a.m. Monday morning. maintenance crews at the Tyson Foods Council Bluffs, Iowa, plant reported seeing smoke,” Worth Sparkman, Tyson Foods manager of public relations, told MEATPOULTRY.com. “A Tyson Team Member used fire extinguishers to try to put out the fire, but the smoke became heavier, so the Council Bluffs Fire Department was called. The automated sprinkler system activated as designed and extinguished the fire.”


No one was harmed and damage was primarily due to smoke, Sparkman added. “There appears to be little to no structural damage,” he continued. “The cause of the fire is unknown at this time but is being investigated.”

The room where the fire took place is used to store polystyrene packaging trays, which are assembled in this area with automated machines and used to package beef and pork for retail grocery customers. The plant, which produces fresh case-ready beef and pork, is already back in full operation, he concluded.