Taylor Farms post fire plan

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A devastating fire burned down the Taylor Farms plant in Salinas, just a few days before the operation was supposed to move north from Yuma.

It is now heavily impacting the company's transition from winter to summer growing season.

The Taylor Farms plant in Yuma usually shuts down this time of year, but due to the fire, it will continue operating through the summer, for the first time in company history.

Our Monterey affiliate, KION, was on the scene Wednesday night when the fire broke out, and shared this footage with us from the scene.

“I was walking around checking the gates and fences and noticed some smoke inside, so I called the fire department, this is about 7:30. Every couple of minutes there would be an explosion, a big cloud of fire and smoke and debris would go up in the air. You could actually smell the gas,” said the eye-witness.

Taylor Farms Director of Communications, Rachel Molatore, says they will continue to receive produce from Salinas growers per their contracted agreements.

“For some of that capacity that we're going to process in Yuma, the growing season right now and why we were going to make that transitional move up north was because the growing was happening up north and so some of that product will be transitioned down for the needs of that facility,” explained Molatore.

The company says they plan to rebuild on the same property, in time for next year's transition.

“We’re gonna be okay, we’re gonna rebuild and we’re gonna rebuild on the same site in salinas. Plans are already underway and engineers are on sight assessing and we’re just so grateful to our team members, our employees right now,” said Molatore.

While taylor farms says it will be a challenge, the company plans to continue providing their product throughout the country in the meantime.