Fire at Tyson Foods plant in Georgia kills 1 person, injures others

Fire at Tyson Foods plant in Georgia kills 1 person, severely burns others

CAMILLA, Ga. —

A fire at a Tyson Foods plant in Camilla, Georgia, killed one person and severely burned others early Friday.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, a Tyson Foods spokesperson, who confirmed the death, told CNN.

“We are working closely with local authorities to determine the cause of a late-night fire at our Camilla, Georgia facility that resulted in the death of one person and several injuries,” the spokesperson said. “We extend our deepest condolences to their family and friends during this difficult time.”

A union spokesperson described the incident as a boiler explosion. They told CNN a person was pinned under debris and the body has been inaccessible. Others have been severely burned in the explosion, the union said in a statement.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents more than 15,000 poultry workers across the southern U.S., including 1,600 workers at the Tyson facility in Camilla in south Georgia.

“We are working with the company and local emergency authorities to ensure that all the workers impacted are taken care of,” Stuart Appelbaum and Edgar Fields of the union said in a statement.

“Our members and the community of Camilla depend on this facility operating, it is too early to tell what happened last night but there must be a thorough investigation into this incident, and workers must be able to work safely in the facility,” Appelbaum and Fields said. “No worker should ever have to worry that when they go to work, they may not be able to return home safe and sound.”

Union representatives are on the scene to help anyone injured in the explosion.

CNN has reached out to the Mitchell County coroner, the Camilla Fire Department and the Camilla Police Department.