At least one building was destroyed but no hens were lost in an egg farm fire that occurred around 3:30 a.m. on October 3 near Palmyra, Wisconsin.
On a message on the Palmyra Public Safety Department Facebook page, the agency said multiple crews throughout southern Wisconsin responded to the fire, representing Jefferson, Waukesha, Rock, Dane, Dodge, Washington and Walworth counties. While an official press release concerning the incident has not yet been released, some details were released on the social media page.
According to the public safety department, the one building involved was a complete loss, but firefighters were able to protect all buildings housing animals, and no animals were injured. Also, no firefighters or citizens were injured.
The Palmyra Public Safety Department, which provides police, fire and rescue services, stated that it was currently investigating the incident with the assistance of the Wisconsin State Fire Marshal’s Office.
While the public safety agency did not identify the company for which the egg farm produced, the The Daily Jefferson County Union reported that it was and S&R Egg Farm facility, and that S&R Egg Farm purchased the farm from Michael Foods in 1993.
S&R Egg Farm, according to the WATTPoultry.com Top Egg Companies Database, had a flock of 4.53 hens at the end of 2019. It ranks as the 24th largest egg company in the United States.
S&R also experienced a fire at one of its farms in February 2014. In that situation, one barn was lost, but 14 other structures on the premises were spared through the efforts of firefighters from at least five counties.
In 2019, S&R Egg Farm was approved for a permit to build a new egg farm with the capacity for about 3 million hens in La Prairie, Wisconsin. That permit was granted by the La Prairie Town Council. At the time, it was reported that the company could break ground on the new facility as early as the spring of 2020.
