Thousands of chickens being raised for Mountaire Farms died in a poultry house fire in West End, North Carolina.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
According to a report from Sandhills Sentinel, multiple fire departments from Moore and Montgomery counties responded to the structure fire on the morning of December 22.
The alarm for the fire was sounded shortly after 7 a.m., with the first arriving unit reported a chicken house on fire, with the flames large enough to threaten two other chicken houses.
Even though the house where the fire originated was destroyed, firefighters were able to protect the chicken houses on each side of the one that burned. One of those nearby houses, however, did receive minimal damage.
Officials said a representative from Mountaire Farms would likely assess the damage of those other houses and check the viability of the chickens inside those houses.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and is under investigation.
