Almost 2,000 workers being laid off from NC facility after massive fire, officials say
Almost 2,000 workers are being laid off after a massive fire tore through their North Carolina workplace, officials said.
The plan is set to impact 1,953 employees at a distribution center for the shopping network QVC, according to a notice filed with the N.C. Department of Commerce. The facility is in Rocky Mount, roughly 60 miles northeast of Raleigh.
A “permanent” closure at the center is expected to lay off employees from Feb. 1 through the middle of the year, records show. The shutdown was due to a fire that started last month, officials said in the Dec. 29 filing.
But in response to McClatchy News’ request for comment, QVC said it is “still assessing the impact of the fire.”
“While we haven’t made any long-term decisions about the site, we already know the building will be closed for an extended period and there will not be work there for the team for the foreseeable future,” officials said in a Dec. 28 statement.
“This closure was caused by a tragic fire that started in the early morning of December 18, 2021,” Qurate Retail Group, which runs QVC, told state officials in a letter obtained by McClatchy News. “... All team members will be provided with the opportunity to seek employment at other QRG locations around the country.”
QVC in its statement to McClatchy News said it would start giving “separation benefits” to affected workers on Feb. 1. The company said it provided $500 in emergency funds to Rocky Mount workers and plans to provide career services for them.
More than 300 people were on the job at the distribution center when officials said a five-alarm fire broke out last month. A 21-year-old man was found dead after crews spent over 12 hours trying to put out the blaze, The News & Observer reported.
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Almost 2,000 workers being laid off from NC facility after massive fire, officials say."
