Fire tore through one of Manitoba’s largest poultry processing plants last week, causing an estimated $2.5 million in damage.
The fire at Granny’s Poultry Co-operative in Blumenort, Man., started shortly before 10 p.m. on Oct. 7. Four area fire departments fought the blaze for six hours before it was controlled.
The northwest wing of the plant was destroyed, said Steinbach fire chief Curt Loewen. The fire started in an overhead storage area where corrugated cartons were kept.
“That part of it was gutted. The rafters were right down to the floor.”
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Smoke from the fire prompted an early-morning evacuation of about 40 people from two senior citizens homes, said Loewen.
“The smoke was quite intense,” said Jake Driedger, director of Oakwood Place and Oakview Manor, the two senior citizens homes. “It came into the buildings. You could smell it in there.”
Firefighters left the scene of the fire at 7:30 a.m., but were forced to return two hours later. There were concerns that lines carrying ammonia inside the plant would rupture, Loewen said. The ammonia is used as part of the process to freeze poultry meat at the plant.
As a precaution, a second evacuation was done at 10 a.m. Oct. 8. About 125 people living north of the plant were asked to leave their homes. They were able to return two hours later, Loewen said.
No serious injuries were reported. The fire was still under investigation at press time.
Granny’s Poultry Co-operative and Dunn-Rite Food Products of Winnipeg are the two main poultry processors in Manitoba. Dunn-Rite stepped up production last week to help keep pace with the supply of chickens ready for processing in Manitoba.
“At a time like this, you just all have to come together and help each other out,” said Dunn-Rite spokesperson Kent Cretton.
It was hoped that Granny’s Poultry would get its killing and eviscerating floors back into production early this week.
“That part of the building isn’t really damaged,” said Waldie Klassen, chair of the Manitoba Chicken Producer Board. “It’s just a matter of getting it cleaned up.”
However, the cutting floor, where poultry is carved into portions, was in the area worst affected by the fire. There was no word last week as to when it would be restored.
Klassen didn’t think the fire would have any serious effect on the number of chickens reaching store shelves in Manitoba. Dunn-Rite’s efforts helped alleviate that concern.
Granny’s Poultry is the only plant in Manitoba equipped to process large numbers of turkeys. Located 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, the company employs about 350 people.
Most of the turkeys for the Thanksgiving weekend were already shipped out to customers prior to the fire. The Manitoba Turkey Producers’ Board doubts there will be a shortage of eviscerated turkeys following the fire.
“As far as the turkeys in the barn, it doesn’t look like there should be a lot of backlog for too long,” said Bob Friesen, chair of the turkey producers’ board.
Granny’s Poultry was expected to announce a major expansion of its Blumenort plant this month. General manager Wayne Morrison said the expansion will still go ahead.
Work was already under way last week to repair damage.
