LIBERTY TWP. — A second-alarm structure fire temporarily halted the operation of a privately owned poultry farm early Friday morning following a fire that broke out in the operations power plant.
At approximately 7:03 a.m., emergency personnel from the Liberty Township Fire Department and Union City Rescue responded along with deputies from the Darke County Sheriff’s Office and multiple mutual aid departments to 1593 Wildcat Road in reference to a fully involved barn fire.
According to Liberty Township Fire Chief Mark Loy, fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from a large barn used to house the operations power plant supplying the farms multiple barns. Fire fighters worked to bring the blaze under control however the barn was destroyed and deemed a total loss. Heavy equipment was requested to the scene to raze the structure.
Efforts were shifted to concentrate on aiding the employees in ventilating the many barns housing the nearly 500,000 chickens on the farm. As temperatures neared dangerous levels, firefighters placed fans and generators to help cool the barns and prevent any loss of life to the poultry. Private contractors were also present on the scene and worked to restore power to the barns as firefighters completed their duties. There is no estimate on the amount of time those repairs may be completed.
The exact cause and nature of the fire had been ruled as undetermined at this time but remains under investigation by the Liberty Township Fire Department.
