Dawson in standstill Thursday following Tyson Foods plant incident
Schools closed in Terrell County on Thursday following overnight incident at Tyson Foods chicken plant
By Jennifer Parks
DAWSON — Dawson was in a standstill Thursday morning after an overnight incident at the Tyson Foods chicken plant that is expected to keep the facility closed the remainder of the week.
Worth Sparkman, a spokesperson for Tyson Foods, said a fire broke out in a dock area of the Dawson plant. The employees were evacuated, and there were no injuries.
“We’re grateful for area fire departments and their quick response,” Sparkman said. “The incident involved the release of ammonia, which is used as a refrigerant at the plant. The leak has been isolated and we’re working to determine the root cause.
“The plant will not operate the rest of this week. We’re evaluating the damage and will determine when we might resume operations sometime next week.”
A Facebook post from the Terrell County Sheriff’s Office warned people to stay away from the plant if possible for safety reasons. Officials with the Terrell County School System said they closed all the schools for both students and staff on Thursday due to the incident, and were set to reopen them today.
A call to the sheriff’s office seeking more information about the incident was referred to the county’s Emergency Management Agency director, Bill McClung. A message left for McClung was not returned Thursday afternoon.
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