A hundred firefighters continue to battle a stubborn fire at the Patrick Cudahy Inc. plant in Cudahy since Sunday afternoon. Mayor Ryan McCue has declared a state of emergency which forced a shutdown of the massive meat processing plant and led to the evacuation of certain portions of the city.

High levels of ammonia seeping into the air and smoke inhalation are the biggest concerns now since there have been no victims because of the fire. A mandatory evacuation is being done in a one mile radius of the plant at One Sweet Apple-Wood Lane. Officials advice residents in the surrounding area to evacuate immediately if there’s any smell or smoke.

The building affected by the fire is used for microwave bacon processing and also is used for dry storage. Only a small number of maintenance employees were at the plant when the fire broke out. Production at the plant had been shut down since the end of the day on July 3 for the holiday weekend.

Patrick Cudahy Fire Pictures