Fire Strikes Dietz & Watson Warehouse

Dietz & Watson is starting clean up and damage assessment after a fire destroyed the company's 450,000-square-foot warehouse in Delanco, N.J., over the weekend.

Because it was a holiday weekend, there was a “skeleton crew” working at the warehouse, which employs 130 people, explained Steve Riley, marketing for Dietz & Watson. No one was injured and all employees are accounted for. Employees will keep their jobs and will be transferred to facilities in Philadelphia and Baltimore, Dietz & Watson CEO Louis Eni said in an interview with a local news station.

The fire started Sept. 1 and raged for 27 hours. According to reports, 100 firemen battled the 11-alarm fire. The cause  is unknown.

Dietz & Watson’s other facilities in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Corfu, N.Y., are up and running. Because of the loss of inventory, the company’s supply chain might be affected in the next few weeks.

“It has been an unexpectedly challenging Labor Day weekend for the Dietz & Watson Family,” said Eni. “Thankfully, all Dietz & Watson employees are safe… Our production facilities continue to manufacture our premium meats and cheeses. Other distribution arrangements will be made as we assess the fire's damage.”