FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
09-04-91 1700 HRS. CDT
FIRE VIOLATIONS KILL
TWENTY-FIVE IN CHICKEN PLANT
According to official reports, twenty-five (25) people died and
another fourty-nine (49) were injuried as the result of a
fire in the Imperial chicken processing plant in Hamlet, North
Carolina yesterday. Witnesses, at the scene, described
panicked workers as screaming, "Let me out!....Let me
out!", as they tried to kick open doors that were reportedly
padlocked by the plant management to prevent vandalism and theft.
Footprint indentations were evident on the inside of at least one
door, that was seen to be locked from the outside.
In the aftermath of the disaster, N.C. Asst. Commissioner of
Labor Charles Jeffress, said that the eleven (11) year old
food processing plant had not been subjected to state safety
inspections due to a lack of inspectors in the state. He
stated that the Dept. of Labor primarily inspected buildings for
which there had been complaints, and that none had been received
in regard to the Imperial plant.
Hamlet Fire Chief David Fuller said that he couldn't confirm or
deny that the fire exits were locked or blocked. Chief
Fuller did confirm that several bodies were found near the exits
and in a meat locker. A company spokesman said that as many as
ninety (90) employees were present in the building when the fire
started. The spokesman did admit that "certain doors"
in the plant were locked "at certain times", but was
reluctant to admit which doors. Witnesses described the fire as
having started in a twenty-five (25) foot long fryer vat, which
reportedly ignited at approximately 08:30 A.M.
More than one-hundred (100) emergency response and medical
personnel were dispatched to the scene to assist with the search
and rescue efforts. A majority of plant employees were
transported to several area hospitals for treatment of burns,
smoke inhalation, and stress related disorders. According to at
least one witness, some apparently suffered traumatic injuries
while attempting to escape the rapidly spreading blaze.
Emergency response expert, Clark Staten, of the Emergency
Response & Research Institute in Chicago, IL. said of the
blaze; "If the initial reports can be believed, this is an
intolerable set of circumstances that should result in criminal
charges being placed against those responsible for having the
fire doors locked". "Our past experience with fires and
fire deaths shows that we must insure an adequate number of open
exits from any occupied building", he continued. "It's
hard to believe, in today's day and age that any business owner
or manager would be so insensitive to fire safety as to allow
this sort of incident to happen", the veteran fire paramedic
concluded.
(C) Copyright, 1991
Emergency Response & Research Institute
All rights reserved, except otherwise assigned.