Photo courtesy of Washington Township Fire Department
Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Monday, December 31, 2018
(DAVIESS CO.) - A fire on Wednesday, December 26th destroyed a turkey barn and killed around 10,000 birds southwest of Washington.
The Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to the blaze at 2:13 a.m. The barn was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
Photo courtesy of Washington Township Fire Department
According to Washington Township Fire Chief Tony Wichman, a security guard at Grain Processing Corporation at 1443 County Road South 300 West in Washington was making his rounds when he noticed the fire.
"It must have been burning quite a bit for him to see it a half a mile away, " Chief Wichman added.
Washington Township immediately requested aid from Stein Township in Knox County and Veale Township in Daviess County.
Photo courtesy of Washington Township Fire Department
Officials say the 700-foot barn held around 15,000 birds at the time of the fire. Firefighters were able to save around 5,000 turkeys and stop the fire from spreading to two nearby barns.
Photo courtesy of Washington Township Fire Department
The barn located at the intersection of County Road 260 South and County Road 300 West is owned by Robert and Amanda French of Vincennes who raises birds for Perdue Farms.
Officials are estimating the loss caused by the fire to be around $800,000 in both the barn and the birds.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.