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Fire Damages Postville Kosher Meat Processing Plant

Fire has damaged part of Agri-Star, a kosher meat processing plant in Postville, Iowa. The plant was formerly known as Agriprocessors; its CEO, Sholom M. Rubashkin, was sentenced to 27 years in Federal prison following a 2009 raid.

The fire was reported shortly before 3:00am Shabbos morning in the lower-level laundry room of the plant.

Arriving firefighters found thick black smoke coming from the lower level of the 350,000 square-foot meat and poultry plant, leading officials to call in help from five other nearby departments.

Postville Fire Chief Jeffrey Bohr told the Associated Press that firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the plant’s second and third levels, where manufacturing materials like cardboard, plastic foam trays and chemicals are stored.

Bohr said the fire started in an unattended clothes dryer and has been ruled accidental.

No one was injured in the fire, and no damage estimates are available at this time.