A Hazardous Material team is working to clean up a rotting mess at Bridgewater Quality Meat. The McCook County Emergency Manager says it has been closed for months, but when owner Ilan Parente moved out, he left a refrigerator full of meat behind. Now that the power to the building has been shut off for at least a month, the meat is creating a stink.

The team spent Tuesday clearing out about 75,000 pounds of rotting meat, according to McCook County Emergency Manager Brad Stiefvater. They started before noon and they'll be there until dark, Stiefvater said. The team includes 15 workers who aren't leaving until it's done.

The smell is all over town, and residents have been concerned for the past two weeks. Stiefvater says it's as "bad as you might imagine."

Main Street is blocked off for the cleanup equipment. The crew is using skid loaders to shovel the mess into four dump trucks. The waste will be hauled to the Sioux Falls landfill.

The crew is using re-breathers. Members are trying to avoid wearing full suits because of the heat. Stiefvater says workers have to change breathing packs often and the smell makes for slow work.

The city may bill Parente for the cleanup, which is normal procedure.