Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 9/6/16


A fire broke out Tuesday at a USDA facility in Beltsville, Md., which was one of five offices closed then reopened last week after anonymous emailed threats.

USDA issued the following statement: "A fire occurred this morning in a storage shed building at USDA’s Beltsville facility. The fire has been contained, and no personnel were harmed. The building involved houses equipment only, and employees in a neighboring building have been safely evacuated. USDA officials reported the fire, and an investigation into its cause continues." 

Local media reported a two-alarm fire burned the building to the ground. A local NBC station reported the garage building housed several vehicles, which also caught fire. Prince George's fire investigators and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were on the scene.

Last week, threatened offices in Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina and Kearneysville, W.V., reopened two days later with additional security enhancements. Offices in Hamden, Conn., and Leetown, W.V., were to remain closed awaiting security improvements or notifications to union officials.

USDA's Beltsville, Md., location houses an Agricultural Research Center and a Human Nutrition Research Center.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.