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Thousands of turkeys die in Frazee fire
Published Wednesday, November 21, 2007
An early morning fire in Frazee claimed the lives of thousands of newly-hatched turkeys at New Life Farms.
The Frazee Fire Department was called to a Frazee Road address, about two miles west of Frazee, shortly after 3 a.m. this morning.
The fire broke out in a barn where 20,000 turkey chicks were placed Tuesday, according to Frazee Fire Chief Paul Thon.
Damage to the barn was minimal, but Thon says there was a substantial loss of young turkeys.
“Most of the toms lived, more hens died,” said Doug Huebsch, a partner in New Life Farms, a cooperative headquartered in Perham.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation this morning but it does not appear suspicious, Thon said.
A brooder stove could be the culprit, Huebsch said.
“We have to keep the barns warm (for the new turkeys) and a spark could have gotten into the shavings,” Huebsch said. “An employee doing night checks saw smoke.”
The exact number of turkeys killed has not been determined.
It took crews about three hours to control the fire. Detroit Lakes firefighters assisted at the scene. No injuries were reported, Thon said.
“They did a terrific job,” Huebsch said. “There was virtually no damage to the barn and no one was hurt. Thank God for miracles.”
“We had the fire knocked down shortly after we got there,” Thon said.
There was a fire on the same site several years ago when it was under different ownership, Thon said.
The fire was the second in the Frazee area for New Life Farms in the past two years.
In February 2006 about 3,000 turkeys were killed at one of New Life Farms’ turkey barns.
Unlike this morning’s fire, the barn in the 2006 fire was totally engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene.
The birds killed in the fire were breeder hens used to sell hatched eggs.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by eripsni (anonymous) on November 21, 2007 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Now that's a new way to roast a Thanksgiving turkey...
Posted by TheHammer (anonymous) on November 21, 2007 at 5:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, now, can you imagine what the effect this incident will have on the price of turkeys? Think about that--what happens to the price of gasoline when there is a problem with supply? Hmmm? Y'all think about that when you start carvin' up that pretty bird on y'all's table there!!!
Posted by libover30 (anonymous) on November 23, 2007 at 5:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank God for a miracle? what does this man think burn up in this fire, paper? This is just what you would expect from someone who raises these birds, then tortures them until the day they die. We wouldn't expect any different.
But before you go thanking God for no one getting hurt, I think you better step back a few steps and look at who created these birds. I don't think he is very happy about it at all. Especially the way these birds are kept and then killed.
What a sad world this is when someone who only sees these birds as a big fat paycheck, can say something that only shows he has no morals, or feelings for others.
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