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CUDAHY - Several hundred Patrick Cudahy Inc. employees will be temporarily laid off after a massive fire gutted parts of the facility, a company spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

"Those employees that we are not able to use in other areas of the plant will be laid off and eligible for unemployment, effective immediately," said Cudahy Vice President of Human Resources Dan Habighorst.

Some of those workers came to the plant to take pictures and look at the damage.  Mary Allison says she relies on her job at Patrick Cudahy to support her three children.  "I worry because that's what we depend on to pay our rent and take care of our family at home," she said.

She says she'll file for unemployment until she finds out if she can return to work at the plant.

The exact number of layoffs is not yet known, but Habighorst estimated that it would be in the hundreds.

"That would be accurate, yes," he said, adding that he was not sure when those employees would be able to return to work.

There are 1,400 hourly employees at the plant.  Most of those workers were told not to report Tuesday.

Production will be temporarily shifted to other facilities, but Habighorst believes such transfers will depend upon how many "employees [Cudahy] is able to absorb in other areas of the business."

"We will continue to service our customers and plan to do that through some of our sister companies," he continued. "We have a number of plants that make similar stuff, and they will asked to help us out."

"Most of those plants may have capacity or availability at one time or another, but that always fluctuates."

Mayor Ryan McCue admits he's worried that once those jobs are done elsewhere, the company won't re-hire the workers in Cudahy.  He says he'll do whatever is necessary to keep jobs in his city.  That could include giving Patrick Cudahy tax money to rebuild. 

"At a time when other employers were laying people off, Patrick Cudahy was hiring employees.  They're one of our major employers here in Cudahy and we want to keep them here," McCue said.

The state is stepping in to help workers.  Patrick Cudahy employees who are affected by the temporary layoffs may apply for unemployment immediately.

United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1473, which represents Cudahy employees, has established a relief fund for them. Donations can be sent to the Patrick Cudahy Workers Relief Fund, UFCW Local 1473, 2001 N. Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226.