Fire Consumes WI Meatpacking Plant

A fire broke out Sunday night inside of a meatpacking plant south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, causing thousands of area residents to evacuate. Besides the usual risk of a large fire, officials were especially worried about the possibility of an ammonia explosion that could cause widespread damage.
 
Fortunately, a combined effort by firefighters and other emergency crews managed to isolate the ammonia in a part of the meatpacking plant that would not be reached by the flames. If an ammonia explosion were to take place, thousands of people in the surrounding area could be exposed to extremely toxic ammonia gas that can cause death if inhaled.
 
No employees were hurt in the blaze, nor were any emergency workers, but five people from the area reported breathing problems after the blaze. However, only three of the patients, all of them elderly, are still hospitalized. As of Monday evening, the evacuation order had been lifted because there was no ammonia gas in the air. 

Image: Flickr