North Star Foods is the second-largest employer in St. Charles with about 150 workers. Their futures were on the minds of some residents even as the fire burned.

“They might all lose their jobs,” Amber Kesler, a customer at the Good Sport Bar and Grill, said before the evacuation was ordered. “And the way the economy is going, you don’t want to lose your job.”

Locally owned North Star Foods Inc. has been in business since 1971, serving industrial, retail and foodservice customers, according to its Web site. Its products include chicken, turkey, beef, pork and other food products.

“Small towns can’t afford to lose a business. As a matter of fact, no towns can these days,” said Bob Golden, one of the residents waiting for news at the church Friday evening.