Dominic Genetti – Jacksonville Journal-Courier, Ill.
May 30—A chicken eggs production company in Central Illinois caught fire overnight May 29, affecting operations and killing more than 1 million chickens.
The blaze at the Wabash Valley Production Plant in Farina, Illinois was finally extinguished Thursday morning after it destroyed much of the facility. Farina is located on IL-Route 37 east of I-57 between Effingham and Salem; about 93 miles east of St. Louis.
According to Vandalia Radio WKRV, 17 area fire departments were on the scene and WKRV’s Todd Stapleton reports the fire was discovered Wednesday evening and quickly spread. “Both Fayette and Marion County Sheriff’s Offices provided assistance in traffic control and asked individuals at the time to avoid the area of Route 37 south of Farina,” he writes.
WJBD radio in Salem reports employees of the facility say no one was working at the time and 1.2 million chickens are housed there.
“The sprawling facility on the south side of Farina includes the chicken housing facility that was on fire, a warehouse facility set apart from the chicken housing away from the fire, and other parts of the operation located at a nearby separate facility,” WJBD reports.
WCIA Meteorologist Kevin Lightly shared some aerial photos of the fire on his Facebook page.
The fire was so intense that it showed up on the weather radar and reportedly caused a rare pyrocumulus cloud, according to WCIA Meteorologist Jacob Dickey.
Fire departments that were reportedly on scene include Kinmundy-Alma, Salem, Effingham, St. Elmo, Brownstown, Vandalia, Edgewood, Iuka, Xenia, Patoka, Sandoval, Odin, Kell, Centralia Fire Protection District, North Clay, Dietrich, Harter Stanford, Orchardville, Montrose, Hoffman, Woodlawn, Teotopolis, Altamont, Flora, St. Peter, Schumway, Beecher City and Watson, according to WJBD.
Wabash Valley is based in DuBois, Indiana. The company has a third facility in Zanesville, Ohio.
(c)2024 the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.)
Visit the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.) at www.myjournalcourier.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
