Walmart won’t reopen Plainfield fulfillment center destroyed by fire

WFYI Public Radio | By Doug Jaggers

Published April 27, 2022 at 10:19 AM EDT

Walmart does not plan to reopen the Plainfield warehouse distribution center that was destroyed by a fire on March 16.

Walmart does not plan to reopen the Plainfield fulfillment center destroyed by fire last month.

In a notice of facility closure sent to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development on April 22, the company said damage is too significant to reopen the facility in the foreseeable future.

The closure could put 1,132 people out of work. Of the 2,089 employed at warehouse before the fire, 957 have accepted new positions with the company. Walmart said it has worked to keep as many employees as possible in new roles in and around the Plainfield area.

Hourly employees who do not stay with the company beyond a paid job search period will be let go from the company on July 1. Salaried employees will be let go on July 15. Walmart said it expects the separations to be permanent.

The warehouse caught fire March 16 and burned for about three days. All of the roughly 1,000 employees working at the time escaped without injury.