Cargill Suspends Kansas Beef Operations After Fire

DODGE CITY, Kan.Operations have been temporarily suspended at Cargill's beef packing plant in Dodge City, Kan., after a minor fire broke out in the facility on Dec. 23, as reported by Reuters. The company expects to reopen next week.

The fire started in the kill floor, and took fire crews several hours to put out, Reuters reported. The plant was evacuated and is expected to remain closed until next week as damage is assessed. The cause of the fire is still not known, and there were no injuries, the company told Reuters.

Cargill is one of the largest employers in Dodge City, and employs more than 2,700 people. The company recently invested $48 million in a new automated order distribution system at its plant in Dodge City, capable of holding approximately 155,000 boxes of beef. Construction of the new system began the last quarter of 2013 with a projected operational date of spring 2015.