A large fire badly damaged a Western Kansas meat processing facility.

According to the Garden City Police Department, first responders were called Friday night at 8:35 to the report of a fire inside the Tyson Fresh Meats Finney County plant. Multiple agencies responded to the facility, which is located in Holcomb. The fire was not brought under control until 9:30 Saturday morning, and not fully extinguished until later in the afternoon on Saturday.

There were approximately 1200 employees on scene at the time the fire started. All were quickly evacuated. There were no injuries.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly sent assistance from her administration in response to the fire.

“Our agencies are prepared to coordinate support for Tyson and its workers as needed during this challenging time,” the governor said.
Governor Kelly asked Secretary of Commerce David Toland and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam to travel to Finney County to meet with Tyson representatives and local government and economic development officials to offer and coordinate support from the state as needed.

The Department of Commerce and Department of Labor have rapid response resources available to assist employees and businesses affected by closings and other setbacks.

The meat processing facility is closed infidelity.

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(Holcomb Fire Department Photo)