The morning work shift of employees at the Imperial Foods Processing Plant in Hamlet, North Carolina, had just begun when a fire occurred, at approximately 8:15 a.m., on September 3, 1991.  The rapid spread of heavy smoke throughout the structure ultimately resulted in 25 fatalities and 54 people being injured in varying degrees.  Of the people who died, 18 were women and seven were men.

A similar type fire occurred at a chicken processing plant in North Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 7, 1991, but with no fatalities or injuries.  Following the description of the Hamlet fire below, the North Little Rock fire is summarized along with the factors in the different outcomes of these two fires.