A fire near Swanville, Minnesota, killed an estimated 17,000 poults and nearly destroyed the barn where the birds were housed. The barn and the poults were owned by Jennie-O Turkey Store.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
According to a report by the Morrison County Record, the fire broke out on the evening of January 18. Firefighters from the Swanville, Grey Eagle and Flensburg fire departments responded to the call, taking nearly six hours to get the fire under control.
“It’s still standing, but I’d say it’s 75 percent destroyed, Swanville Fire Chief Jerry Hollermann said of the barn.
No people were injured in the fire.
Jennie-O Turkey Store is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods. Headquartered in Willmar, Minnesota, Jennie-O Turkey Store is the second largest turkey company in the United States. According to the WATT Global Media Top Companies Database, the company slaughtered 1.25 billion pounds of live turkeys in 2013.
