Crews recover body of missing man killed in Fairfield Koch Foods blaze

In a statement on social media, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said initial reports indicated the fire was contained by responding fire personnel and that two people sustained burn injuries.

Jones said that “due to the potential release of hazardous materials,” a precautionary two-mile shelter-in-place order was established for the surrounding area."

He said the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Services Team, operating as part of the hazmat unit, responded to the scene and played “a critical operational role.”

“ERS personnel assisted with interagency coordination and operational support while conducted air monitoring throughout the affected area,” Jones said. “The ammonia source was successfully shut off to the building, and air quality readings were determined to be safe.”

The shelter-in-place order was then lifted, he said.

The fire broke out in Koch Foods’ Plant B, which is at 630 Commerce Center Drive.

When firefighters arrived around 1 a.m., heavy smoke was showing and there was a strong odor, according to reports.

Lakamp said around 8 a.m. the two people taken to the hospital had already been released.

Koch Foods is a major poultry processor company and one of Fairfield’s largest employers. It has operated its chicken processing and packaging plants on Port Union Road since 1999.

In 2024, a small fire there caused $50,000 in damage. No one were injured and operations were only briefly interrupted.

That fire was in a mechanical room on the second floor of the main plant and was deemed accidental.

In recent years, Koch Foods has undergone a major expansion and added jobs.