
A fire on January 25 damaged the Amick Farms poultry processing facility in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina.
Investigation by emergency crews is showing the fire may have been caused by an electrical issue, according to The Post and Courier newspaper.
Firefighters from five departments arrived on scene around 9:30 p.m. It took almost 19 hours to contain the blaze, according to Saluda County Emergency Services. The fire damaged about 10,000 square feet of production space.
"We are incredibly thankful for our amazing first responders here in Saluda County and from neighboring counties," Emergency Management Services posted on Facebook. "Their professionalism, teamwork, and tireless efforts were crucial in keeping our community safe. We couldn’t have done it without them!"
Amick Farms employs more than 3,500 people and produces more than 1.4 billion pounds of chicken products per year. It's the largest employer in Saluda County. On its Facebook page, Amick stated "We continue to assess the damage to determine the safest and most expedient means to resume operations."