Pepperidge Farm Resumes Baking After Fire at Connecticut Facility

Pepperidge Farm said it has resumed baking at a facility in Bloomfield, Connecticut after a fire there Wednesday that consumed several drums of an acid solution.

The fire, which broke out at about 4:30 a.m., was contained in a tent used to store the plastic drums containing a sulfuric acid-based solution used for wastewater treatment at the 6 1/2-acre facility in Bloomfield, company officials said.

Because of the potential for a chemical reaction, the fire department let the blaze burn itself out rather than use water to put the fire out.

The fire did not reach the main building and nobody was injured, fire officials said.

“Any spill of the solution was contained in the site’s catch basin and is being remediated by an environmental services firm,” said James Regan, a spokesperson for Campbell Soup, which owns Pepperidge Farm.

The bakery, which produces bread, rolls, stuffing and other products, was closed for a short time while state and federal environmental officials investigated “to ensure worker safety,” Regan said.

Topics Agribusiness Connecticut