A massive fire that broke out at a Texas chicken farm Monday night could take several days to get under control, officials said.
Firefighters were called to Feather Crest Farms in Bryan, Texas around 5:30 p.m. CST and found two of the chicken houses engulfed in flames. As of Tuesday afternoon, over 100 firefighters were still working to put out the blaze.
Officials said multiple factors are working against the firefighters, including the wind, the size of the metal buildings and limited access to water.
The farm, which is located a little over 100 miles north of Houston, is in a rural area without any nearby fire hydrants, leading the responding departments to rely on a water shuttle system with multiple trucks involved.
There were workers on the farm at the time the fire started, but officials said there were no injuries reported from civilians or firefighters. The cause of the fire has not been determined yet.
“The fire affected two chicken houses on site, and we are very sad to say one house had chickens in it at the time that have been lost,” Feather Crest Farms CEO Sam Krouse told Scripps News Waco. “We are thankful for the swift actions of our entire team and that they are all safe. We also deeply appreciate the first responders who reached the farm quickly and helped to prevent any further damage.”
It’s unclear just how many chickens were lost in the fire and what this will do to the farm’s operations. On average, a commercial house can hold over 20,000 chickens.
Officials don’t believe there to be any air quality concerns at this time, and said this isn’t a hazmat situation.
Residents near the farm briefly experienced power outages as Bryan Texas Utilities said it temporarily cut power to the area to help the firefighters.
Traffic is also a concern for emergency responders, who said backups on State Highway 21 in front of the property have prevented them from getting their apparatus to the farm.
Feather Crest Farms is owned by MPS Egg Farms, formally known as Midwest Poultry Services. Based in Indiana, MPS Egg Farms is one the top egg producers in the U.S., according to its website.
