CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — Six people were injured early Friday in a fire at the Cambrex Corp. pharmaceutical plant.
The fire broke out about 1 a.m. in the plant's drying department, said Joe Nettleton, vice president of operations and site director.
One employee was taken to a local hospital and transferred to the burn unit at University Hospitals in Iowa City, Nettleton said.
The worker's name and condition were not immediately released, Nettleton said.
Five others were treated for smoke inhalation and released.
Nettleton said the fire started in a paddle dryer that is used in the manufacture of a poultry feed additive.
''It's a piece of equipment that has paddles inside it and it's got heat that is being applied,'' he said.
He estimated the machine was about 10-feet tall and about 10-feet long.
The fire was in an interior room of a building and was quickly contained. The cause is under investigation.
Nettleton said the plant's automatic fire suppression system was activated and the Charles City fire department was notified and responded.
The plant, which operates around the clock, has about 200 employees. It makes chemicals for use in animal feed additives, human pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, according to the company's Web site.
Nettleton said the plant was operating Friday morning on reduced operations.
''We're focusing on the area and what needs to be done to bring operations back up,'' he said.
Nettleton said the company contacted state emergency officials for a ''potentially environmentally hazardous condition.''
He also said an official with the Department of Natural Resources was on site.
Cambrex is headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J. It also has plants in New Jersey, Italy and Sweden.
