AP Idaho

Employees laid off after fire guts potato chip plant

Published March 9, 2022 6:10 AM

Hermiston, Ore. (AP) — Two weeks after a fire damaged a plant that produced chips and salty snacks in northeast Oregon the company says it will lay off all of the site’s employees. The Tri-City Herald reports the Shearer’s Foods plant in Hermiston caught fire after a propane boiler exploded on Feb. 22. The plant became fully engulfed, with firefighters from several departments battling the blaze for hours. KNDU-TV reported six people were hurt. Shearer’s CEO Bill Nicktakis said in a news release Tuesday that the company made the decision to lay off the employees. The East Oregonian reported that the plant employs 230 people. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the cause of the fire appeared to be a portable natural gas-powered boiler that exploded.

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