Las Vegas woman dies after fire at Tyson Foods plant in Georgia

ATLANTA — A Las Vegas woman died and two other people were hospitalized with injuries after an overnight fire at a Tyson Foods plant in southwest Georgia, state officials said Friday.

A wall fell on the cab of an 18-wheel truck parked outside the plant, Mitchell County Coroner Robby Willis told The Associated Press, killing the wife of a truck driver who was asleep inside. He identified the victim as Bajarma Batozhapov, 61, of Las Vegas.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents 1,600 workers at the plant, said Friday that a boiler had exploded. Tyson said it was working with local authorities to determine the cause of the fire. Officials said a fire burned for about three hours.

Heavy equipment was required to remove debris from the truck and Willis said that the woman’s body wasn’t recovered until about 2 p.m. Friday. The woman’s husband wasn’t in the truck and wasn’t injured, he said. Willis declined to state a cause of death for the woman, and said an autopsy would be performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Monday.

“We extend our deepest condolences to their family and friends during this difficult time. Right now we are still gathering the facts, but ensuring the safety of our team members is our top priority, and we are conducting a full investigation into the cause of the fire,” Tyson said in a statement.

Bryce Rawson, a spokesperson for the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office, confirmed the death and injuries but said he couldn’t share anything further Friday afternoon since the investigation was ongoing.

The plant in Camilla, which has a population of about 5,000 people, is the largest employer in Mitchell County. Tyson bought it in 2018 as part of its $2.16 billion purchase of Keystone Foods. The union said the plant primarily produces chicken nuggets and chicken fillets for restaurants.

“Agriculture is the backbone of our economy down here and Tyson is a major part of that,” Camilla Mayor Kelvin Owens said.

Owens said Tyson is more than just an employer to the city.

“Not only are they important to the economy, they’re important to us as people,” Owens said. “We consider them family and we’re going to do everything we can to support them during this time.”