Cause of JBS Fire Determined
Fire Cause 092121
The Grand Island, Neb. Fire Department has concluded its investigation into the cause of the fire last week at the JBS beef processing facility. Grand Island Fire Prevention Division Chief Fred Hotz said the fire was caused by a heater in the rendering area of the plant that was near the roof of the building.
The heater is used to dry animal byproducts and vents to the roof in the rendering area of the plant. The fire spread to roofing material and the rendering operations were ruled a complete loss.
The fire began on Sunday evening, Sept. 12, and burned into Monday, but did not affect primary production areas and no one was injured, JBS said. Two shifts were cancelled on Monday, but operations had resumed by Tuesday.
A damage amount has not been determined, according to the local ABC affiliate.
