[CH] panola fire
bradley ellis (h0t5auce@home.com)
Sun, 30 Dec 2001 17:31:43 -0600
Bottles Explode in Hot Sauce Plant Fire
LAKE PROVIDENCE, La. - Bottles of hot sauce exploded amid the flames as a
three-alarm fire destroyed much of the Panola Pepper plant.
The state Fire Marshall's office was investigating, but company president
Grady Brown said Sunday that it appeared to have been arson.
"The door was broken in and filing cabinets were left open," Brown said. "I
don't think they were trying to steal hot sauce."
Panola makes hot sauces and Worcestershire sauce, and bottles olives,
jalapeno peppers and other products.
"Bottles were exploding, but not too bad," said Lloyd Chapman, chief of the
East Carroll Parish Fire Department. "The worst problem was in the storage
area, the cases of labels and bottle caps. That burning plastic is hard to
put out."
The blaze was reported just before midnight Friday in Lake Providence, in
Louisiana's northeast corner. Brown said it will take at least three months
to rebuild and resume production.
It was the third fire for the 19-year-old company. A 1999 warehouse fire
caused nearly $200,000 in damage. A 1986 fire destroyed the factory.
Brown started the business in 1983 with his mother's hot sauce recipe,
according to the company's Web site.