Hannaford stores in Maine are experiencing a temporary shortage of fresh produce because of a fire that destroyed a tractor-trailer last week at the supermarket chain’s distribution center on Hemco Road in South Portland.
“We have had some delays in fresh items as we reroute items after the warehouse fire from other locations like New York,” Hannaford spokesman Eric Blom said in an email Sunday evening. “There have been some low inventories in particular items until that store’s truck arrives. We do apologize for any inconvenience.”
A sign posted at the Hannaford supermarket at the Airport Mall in Bangor said that due to a fire at the company’s warehouse, certain fresh items are currently unavailable.
The South Portland Fire Department responded to the Hannaford distribution center fire Wednesday night. The fire started in a refrigerated tractor-trailer loaded with fresh produce. The fire destroyed the trailer before spreading to a second tractor-trailer, which had been parked next to the warehouse. Loading bays were also damaged.
About 80 employees were in the warehouse when the fire broke out. They all got out safely. The fire started in a refrigerator pump used to cool produce in the truck and is not considered suspicious.
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