Four alarm fire destroys manufacturing plant in Mexico

Saturday, the cause of a massive fire that destroyed a dog food manufacturing plant in Mid-Missouri is unknown.

Crews responded to Everlasting Manufacturing in Mexico around 5:00 a.m. for a four-alarm fire, according to firefighters.

Officials said the plant is a total loss.

About 35 firefighters from Little Dixie Fire Protection District and Mexico Public Safety were on scene until about 4:00 p.m. An excavator was also on the scene tearing down the metal exterior so crews could get to flames inside the building.

Jim Raleigh, the owner of Everlast Manufacturing, said he has been making dog food at the Mexico plant for 16 years.

“I hope to rebuild,” Raleigh said. “It’s going to take a lot of energy to go through all that. First of all, it’s all got to come down first and be removed and start from the ground up.”

The Everlast plant caught on fire about 10 years ago, Raleigh said. That fire was determined to be caused by electrical issues. But he said he does not believe that is the cause of Saturday’s fire as he shuts off all power to the plant each night.

Lt. Steve Nichols with the Little Dixie Fire Protection District said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

“Anytime you have a manufacturing plant of any kind, they have dust,” Nichols said. “And the smaller dust you have the more volatile it is as far as explosions and stuff like that. But we have no idea what caused it at this time.”

Nichols said there was no one inside at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries.