Fire destroys Kreider Farms hay barn

A Kreider Farms barn in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, collapsed during the early morning hours of June 11 following a massive fire.

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bfoxfoto | Bigstock
bfoxfoto | Bigstock

A Kreider Farms barn in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, collapsed during the early morning hours of June 11 following a massive fire.

The 50 foot by 250 foot barn was engulfed in flames when the Manheim Fire Department responded to a 3 a.m. call on Friday, June 11. A dozen additional crews from around the county – including tankers and fire police – also responded, according to the Lancaster Daily Voice.

The fire was under control, although still smoldering, by 5 a.m. of that day, with no injuries reported.

“Crews returned today at 2 p.m. to begin the process of tearing apart the smoldering pile of hay. Crews worked for roughly six hours and flowed over 80,000 gallons of water and made significant progress but a few hot spots remain,” the Manheim Fire Department wrote June 13 on their Facebook page.

“This has been a difficult fire for not only us but for Kreider Farms as well. Many factors play into the decision-making process. Over 500 ton of tightly baled hay was stored in this facility, the facility was nearly 50 percent full at the time of the fire. The facility also had various other equipment including tractors and trucks.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Since the beginning of 2020, fires have also occurred at egg production facilities operated by Cal-Maine Farms, Hickman’s Family Farms, S&R Egg Farms, Gemperle Farms, Trillium Farms, Michael Foods and Konos.

Kreider Farms is the 17th largest egg producer in the U.S., according to the Egg Industry’s Top Egg Company Report. The dairy and egg operations, which houses 1,700 dairy cows and 6 million chickens, supply retail and wholesale customers with milk, ice cream and eggs. Kreider is the largest egg producer in Pennsylvania with facilities in Mount Joy, Manheim, Middletown and Mount Pleasant. As of December 31, 2020, it had 5.8 million laying hens.

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