A fire broke out in a farrowing house at a Prestage Farms operation on June 22 in Clinton, North Carolina.
According to a report from WRAL, the building contained about 380 sows and their piglets. An estimated 300 pigs survived, although it is not yet clear how many died in the fire.
The fire was first noticed by a contractor working in a field on the farm, who notified the management of the farm, who in turn contacted emergency services.
About 50 firefighters from 14 fire stations in three counties responded to the scene.
The situation is under investigation, and information concerning the cause of the fire has not yet been released. No other buildings on the farm caught on fire.
A spokesman for Prestage Farms told WRAL: “We are certainly grateful for all of the fire departments who responded and worked so hard to limit the fire’s impacts.”
In addition to being a major pork producer, Prestage Farms is also the fifth largest turkey producer in the United States. During the past year, the company processed 436 million pounds of turkey in 2023.
