December 18th – On the 17th, local time, a fire broke out in a chicken farm in Florida, USA. The fire burned down three chicken coops overnight, killing up to 250,000 chickens.
According to NBC, Shawn Whited, the head of the Pasco County Fire and Rescue Department in Florida, said that as of the afternoon of the 17th, firefighters were still fighting the fire.
He said that at first, they encountered difficulties in extinguishing the fire because there was no fire hydrant outside the chicken coop. In addition, rescue was hindered by several large propane tanks in the chicken coop, at least one of which exploded.
These fire chicken coops are located in Simpson Farm Lane, Florida, and are owned by Carl Maine Foods, one of the largest egg suppliers in the United States. Of the three burned chicken coops, each chicken coop raises about 80,000 chicks for future egg laying.
There are reports that the fire could cost egg producers up to $1 million due to the value of an adult egg-laying hen of about $4.
Max Bowman, vice president and chief financial officer of Carl Maine Foods, said that the total loss will be “far greater than that number” due to the loss of equipment and the number of eggs laid in the next 250,000 chicks.
