A fire broke out early Monday at the Martins Abattoir and Wholesale Meats, Inc., slaughterhouse and packing plant in Sampson County.

The fire started around 4 a.m. in a boiling vat in the plant at 1600 Martin Road in Godwin. Firefighters got it under control in about a half-hour, they said.

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No animals were hurt, and the fire caused minimal damage, officials said.

Fire investigators were trying to determine how the fire began.