PILESGROVE, N.J. (AP) — Nearly 300,000 chickens were killed when a fast-moving fire roared through buildings at an egg farm in southern New Jersey, authorities said.
No people were injured in the fire at the Red Bird Egg Farm in Pilesgrove, which broke out shortly before 8:30 p.m. July 20. One barn was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene, and the blaze was spreading to a neighboring barn.
Roughly 200,000 chickens were killed by the fire, authorities said.
Another 80,000 died when a neighboring building lost power, knocking out fans used to cool chickens in that structure. Those chickens couldn’t survive the combination of heat from the nearby fire and a hot evening, authorities said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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