CHICAGO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A fire overnight at a Tyson

Foods ( TSN ) poultry plant in Camilla, Georgia, killed one

person and injured several others, the company said in a

statement on Friday.

Tyson, the biggest U.S. meat company by sales, is working

closely with local authorities to determine the cause of the

fire, the statement said.

"Right now we are still gathering the facts," a Tyson

spokesperson said in the statement, adding, "we are conducting a

full investigation into the cause of the fire."

A poultry workers' union said one person had been pinned

under debris following a boiler explosion that occurred at the

Camilla facility between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. EST.

Additionally, several union members were "severely burned,"

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and

Department Store Union (RWDSU), said in a statement. The union

said it represents more than 15,000 poultry workers in the

southern United States, including about 1,600 workers at the

Tyson facility in Camilla.

A rebound in Tyson's chicken business helped the company to

beat Wall Street expectations for its fourth-quarter earnings in

November, offsetting losses in beef.

Tyson has closed six U.S. chicken plants since the start of

2023, as well as an Iowa pork plant and a beef and pork plant in

Emporia, Kansas, laying off thousands of workers.