Fire at Altman Plants’ Texas Facility Damages Soil Mixing and Transplanting Hub

A fire that broke out the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 4 at an Altman Plants production facility in Troup, TX, heavily damaged the building where the company mixes soil and transplants young plants. Thankfully no one was hurt.

“I am so proud of our team in Troup and team members across our organization for pulling together during this time of need,” says Altman Plants CEO Matt Altman in a statement. “The safety of our people was the priority.  Now that we are assured of that, we are putting in place everything needed to continue operations.”

In the same statement, the company says it appreciates the outpouring of support from vendors, customers, and industry friends over the past 24 hours, and wants to ensure everyone knows that all team members are safe.

The affected building served as the nursery’s hub for soil mixing and transplanting. The company will shift production into alternative buildings and is arranging to bring in mixed soil from sister production nurseries in Huntsville and Giddings, TX, to keep Troup supplied.

Importantly, no crop losses are expected, and shipping to customers will stay on track. The Troup nursery employs around 375 team members, with approximately 4 million square feet of growing space.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Altman Plants extends its deepest thanks and appreciation to the fire crews and first responders who worked through the evening to bring the blaze under control.

“As many of us know in this industry, we learn to deal with the unexpected. This is a significant event, but we are thankful our people are safe and we will come out stronger on the other side,” Altman says.