A massive fire tore through a commercial hog farm complex in Madison County, Ohio on Wednesday, killing more than 6,000 pigs, destroying four of five large agricultural buildings, and sending a towering plume of smoke visible across miles of rural landscape.
The Central Townships Joint Fire District said firefighters were dispatched to Fine Oak Farms on Davis Road Southwest in Union Township, Madison County, around noon Wednesday. A large column of smoke could be seen from a distance as two of the five large agricultural buildings were already "heavily involved in fire" when firefighters arrived, according to Chief Brian Bennington of the Central Townships Joint Fire District.
Multiple fire departments responded amid sustained winds of about 20 mph and gusts reaching up to 35 mph, which accelerated the fire's spread. Because water supplies in the area were limited, extensive water shuttle operations were needed. Crews called in two ladder trucks and 10 tankers, and it took five hours to bring the blaze under control.
By the time the fire was contained, four of the five barns had been destroyed. More than 6,000 hogs were killed and 1,500 were rescued and relocated. No civilians or firefighters were injured. A total of 15 different mutual aid organizations assisted in fighting the fire.
Bennington said the hog waste stored below the buildings was contained, with no concern for impacts on surrounding groundwater.
The Ohio State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause. Investigators do not believe the blaze was intentionally set. Smoke is expected to continue rising from the remains of the barns, and firefighters planned to return to knock down any flames that reignite.
The fire is among the latest in a troubling string of large-scale agricultural barn fires across the United States in recent years that have claimed tens of thousands of livestock. The cause and total property damage figure at Fine Oak Farms have not yet been released.
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