Konos barn and 300,000 hens lost in fire in Michigan

A large fire destroyed a barn and about 300,000 cage-free laying hens at a Konos egg farm in Otsego, Michigan, on January 3.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Leaf, Bigstock)
(Leaf, Bigstock)

A large fire destroyed a barn and about 300,000 cage-free laying hens at a Konos egg farm in Otsego, Michigan, on January 3.

Multiple fire departments responded to the incident, which started about 11 a.m.

Farm spokesman Brian Burch told WWMT 50 people worked at the farm and were all safe, except for minor smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.

While one barn was lost, firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from harming another barn, which housed about 250,000 hens, on the property. It took several hours to bring the fire under control.

The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation.

Burch said the farm produced about 550,000 eggs on a daily basis. Production will continue at the remaining barn.

"We are thankful for the work of all the fire departments that helped today," Rob Knect, Konos’ vice president of operations, said in a written statement on the fire. "Their quick actions kept our farm safe and we are eager to resume production tomorrow."

The Konos farm fire follows another egg farm fire that occurred several months ago. On the afternoon of November 20, 2019, a fire claimed a barn at a Cal-Maine Foods facility in Chase, Kansas.

According to the Egg Industry Top Companies rankings, Konos is the 28th largest egg company in the United States, with a flock of 3.4 million hens.

Page 1 of 358
Next Page