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Fire at commercial egg farm kills more than 100,000 chickens

Posted at 8:14 AM, Jul 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-03 10:54:15-04

Authorities say more than 100,000 chickens died in a fire that destroyed a barn at a Pennsylvania commercial egg farm in Pennsylvania.

The blaze at Hillandale Farms in Tyrone Township was reported around 5:45 a.m. Saturday. Tyrone is about 29 miles (46 kilometers) southwest of Harrisburg.

A Heidlersburg Fire Company captain said flames were visible above the roof of the 600-foot (183-meter) barn by the time fire crews arrived.

Crews concentrated on keeping the blaze from spreading to other buildings. Three firefighters were treated at the scene, two for dehydration and one for a laceration.

The fire chief said adjacent chicken houses were undamaged and the animals unharmed. The burned building was destroyed.

Officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. It's believed to have been accidental.