WYNNE, AR (abc24.com) - There is mounting frustration in Wynne, Arkansas one month after fire ripped through a factory housing the city's largest employer.
The September 6th fire heavily damaged a portion of the Mueller Industries copper tubing factory. The company, as a result, laid off around 170 workers.
Mayor Bob Stacy has called Mueller so many times trying to get an update, he says the company told him not to call back for six to eight weeks.
"They are not telling me anything," Stacy tells abc24.com.
Not knowing is forcing many, including J.R. McGee, to wonder when, or if, their future will come into focus.
"I haven't been able to pay any bills because I lost my job," says McGee. "It has been rough."
McGee worked in the plastics portion of the factory, which sustained heavy damage during the fire. He remembers the night of the fire all too well.
"We got in the car and came down here," he says, "and my whole department was on fire. That's when it sunk in."
Mayor Stacy says he's heard about 20 workers have been hired back. The Memphis-based company recently signed a year-long lease for some warehouse space, a fact the mayor says is encouraging.
Calls and emails from abc24.com to Mueller Industries seeking comment have not been returned.
