Wisconsin Plant Hit by 2009 Blaze Gives Fire Department $50,000

A Milwaukee-area meatpacking plant that was hit hard by a 2009 fire is donating $50,000 to local firefighters for their “heroic efforts” in fighting the blaze.

The donation is from the Patrick Cudahy plant and its parent company, Smithfield Foods Inc.

The companies said the money will go to the Cudahy Fire Department, which will use the funds to help pay for a mobile command post.

The fire began when two brothers celebrating the Fourth of July fired a military flare that landed on the plant’s roof. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says insurance claims for the blaze were settled for $208 million. No one was hurt.

The brothers were each sentenced to 90 days, to be served for 30 days in July for three years to keep them behind bars for those Independence Day celebrations.

Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel