The Amazon fulfillment center in Amarillo has been closed due to reported bed bugs.
According to an Amazon spokesperson, the site has been temporarily closed after identifying the presence of bed bugs in the building. All employees are being paid while the site is closed, and customer orders are being handled by other sites in the area. The center is supposed to employee more than 500 people.
The situation was exposed after an employee reported the situation on Facebook, which was later reported to ABC 7.
While pest control companies said it is common to find bed bugs in shipping packages and envelopes, none of the packages from the Amarillo facility go out to customers. Employees at the center handle items returned by customers, which either go back to the vendor, get recycled or are donated.
Current inventory will be recycled or returned to the suppliers once inspected and no orders will be processed while the plant is closed.