Bob Frey/Versailles Fire Department

HEATHER CASEY
Firehouse.com News

When Fire Chief Bob Frey arrived at Weaver Brothers Farm Thursday he quickly determined there was little chance of saving 250,000 chickens from the burning buildings in Versailles, Ohio.

"There’s nothing left there. They were incinerated," said Chief Bob Frey of the Versailles Fire Department.

Two of the seven farm buildings, each housing about 125,000 chickens, were destroyed. The loss of the animals was estimated at over $560,000, allowing $2.25 for each chicken.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Bob Frey/Versailles Fire Department

The fire spread rapidly through the 70 foot-by-600 foot wood frame buildings because of the ventilation system, Frey said.

"The fans drew fire through the building like a chimney. It was a wind tunnel effect," he said.

Firewalls helped stop the spread of fire into a third hen house and an egg processing plant. Without the fire walls, "It could easily have been all seven buildings," Frey said.

An estimated 110 firefighters from thirteen fire departments responded to the four-alarm blaze.

Versailles firefighters got the initial call Thursday at 3:20 p.m. They were the first on the scene and determined they had little chance of saving the two burning buildings, so most efforts went toward protecting the other structures, Frey said.

Bob Frey/Versailles Fire Department

There were over 30 pieces of equipment present, and the water supply was drawn from nearby ponds.

It took about four hours for the departments to gain control of the fire, and some firefighters didn’t leave the scene until 7 a.m. Friday. A few small spots are still burning themselves out, Frey said.

The Versailles Fire Department has 21 volunteer members and operates three engines, a tanker and a grass truck. They cover 2,500 people in the village and another 2,000 in the surrounding area, Frey said.