Hampton Farms plans to rebuild plant in Portales

The Hampton Farms peanut shelling facility in Portales, destroyed by fire on Monday, will be rebuilt, said Hampton Farms Vice President R.P. Watson.

"We'd like to be prepared to handle and mill the 2025 peanut crop in October (2025)," Watson said. He said the fire caused an estimated $20 million in damages.

Watson, from Hampton Farms corporate headquarters in Severn, N.C., was on the scene in Portales last week.

He said one Hampton Farms worker was injured in the blaze.

"He was released (from the hospital) a few days ago. He had first-degree burns. I visited him ... He is recovering nicely," Watson said.

Watson declined to name the injured worker.

Watson said Hampton Farms has three plants in Portales.

"Two more plants, not affected by the fire, are a quarter-mile down the road from the building that burned where we had 16 employees working," Watson said.

Watson did not have information on the cause of the fire.

"That is still pending. It's under investigation," he said.

Employees who worked at the burned building will continue to work, Watson said.

"We are going to add another shift at our primary shelling plant. There will be no disruption to employment or our customer services," Watson said.

Watson said he wanted to be sure local fire department, first responder and emergency personnel know Hampton Farms gives "special thanks" for their response to the blaze.

"We also appreciated the city of Portales, economic development, Roosevelt County Electric and other businesses who reached out to help," Watson said.

As the weekend began, smoke was still visible from the ruins of the shelling building at the peanut processing plant north of Portales on U.S. 70.

"There are materials and products that are still burning and will continue to burn for several days to come. We have personnel on scene to monitor to ensure the exposures are protected," said Portales Fire Chief T.J. Cathey.

Cathey said the state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze, but had not made that determination late last week.

A voicemail requesting information about the fire was left with the fire marshal's office in Santa Fe.

Stephen Hardin, executive director of the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce, said he believes the Portales area has already felt the effects of the fire.

"The damage to property and products of the business, the time spent and safety concerns of first responders and the health, finances and uncertainty of those employed are all part of the equation," Hardin wrote in an email to The News.

But Hardin said the tragedy highlighted good points of Portales and its neighbors.

"This is when a community like ours shines. I know people who have already started doing their part to make sure the workers either get transferred or get some form of assistance while they are in need," he said.

Jodi Diaz, executive director of the Roosevelt County Community Development Corp., noted Hampton Farms' importance in the area.

"Hampton Farms is a large economic driver for Roosevelt County and one of our larger employers. We are here to support them or to assist in any way," Diaz said.

Diaz has said Hampton Farms is the fifth largest employer in Roosevelt County with about 170 workers.

The fire that destroyed the plant was initially reported as "a fire outside of the building that is not large at this time."

Minutes later, with sustained winds near 40 mph and gusts near 60 mph, Portales firefighters found "fire in several different areas of the commercial structure and outside the building," according to a Portales Fire Department news release.

It took five hours, 27 fire trucks and 34 firefighters from six agencies before the blaze was under control.

Cathey said the facility was "considered a total loss."

The Portales fire wasn't the only bad news for Hampton Farms this month. Its peanut butter factory in Franklin, Va., was the scene of a large fire that started in a roaster on Sept. 13. More than 50 firefighters responded to the blaze, according to multiple media reports. No one was injured and damages were still being assessed late last week.