Cause not known in Hartley beef plant fire

The investigation continues into the cause of a large fire at a former beef packing facility in Hartley. Firefighters were called to the former B-S-I beef plant around 4:30 A.M. Tuesday. Crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the building. Assistance was requested from at least seven neighboring fire departments. Firefighters were on the scene for over 12 hours. Deputy Fire Marshal Dave Schipper says the blaze did heavy fire damage throughout the main processing building and heavy smoke damage to an adjoining two-story storage building. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. Schipper says the investigation points to the northwest part of the main processing area of the old original building as the origin. The plant hasn’t been operating for a couple years, but there is staff at the facility. Damage will likely exceed $1.5-million.