A fire and set of explosions that destroyed a meat packing plant over the weekend could have a "devestating" effect on a small west Arkansas town.
No one was hurt in the blaze yesterday at the Cargill meat packing plant in Booneville. But firefighters were unable to fight it because of a dangerous ammonia leak. The leak prompted the evacuation of 180 people from the town. One official says the facility had recently undergone a $40-million expansion. And with 800 employees, it was Booneville's largest employer.
Cargill is asking employees to stay home today and says it's too early to say if the plant will be rebuilt.
A Booneville pastor tells us Booneville "is already hurting" economically and says workers will be applying for unemployment and food stamps if the plant closes.