Accidental fire at Koch Foods causes $50K in damage

Pictured is the primary building at Koch Foods on Port Union Road in Fairfield. The company is growing closer to completing its 400,000-square-foot expansion of its chicken processing facility on the backside of the campus. The company plans to hire 400 new jobs when it opens the new processing lines in February 2023, though some leadership position hiring is currently happening. The total project is $220 million, with $140 million spent on the new building. The remaining $80 million will be invested in new machinery and equipment. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF

Pictured is the primary building at Koch Foods on Port Union Road in Fairfield. The company is growing closer to completing its 400,000-square-foot expansion of its chicken processing facility on the backside of the campus. The company plans to hire 400 new jobs when it opens the new processing lines in February 2023, though some leadership position hiring is currently happening. The total project is $220 million, with $140 million spent on the new building. The remaining $80 million will be invested in new machinery and equipment. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF
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Dec 31, 2024
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A fire at Koch Foods in Fairfield Tuesday morning caused about $50,000 in damage, but no one was hurt and operations were only briefly interrupted, according to the Fairfield Fire Department.

Firefighters were dispatched about 7:10 a.m. to the plant at 4100 Port Union Road. They found fire in a mechanical room on the second floor of the main plant.

The facility’s fire sprinkler system activated, keeping the fire in check while Fairfield fire crews fully extinguished it in about 20 minutes, according to Deputy Chief Steve Conn. Fire units from Springdale, West Chester Twp. and Liberty Twp. responded to assist.

The facility had been evacuated prior to firefighters’ arrival. There were no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is accidental and appears to be from a malfunctioning motor.

The fire caused minor disruptions to the facility’s production for approximately 60 minutes. Employees returned to work as soon as the smoke and water issues had been mitigated.

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Lauren Pack, a native of the Miami Valley, has been on staff at the Journal-News since 1994 reporting on courts and crime.