BARAGA COUNTY, MI-- Thousands of hens were killed in a fire on a farm in Pelkie Saturday night.
WLUC-TV says the barn housing the egg-laying hens at the Byler Family Farm caught fire and was fully engulfed within half an hour. The Pelkie, Baraga and L'Anse fire departments responded, but were unable to save the structure. Officials say 3,000 hens were killed.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is believed to be electrical in nature.
Farm owner Daniel Byler says it will cost around $250,000 to rebuild the barn. He says it will take at least six months for the farm to return to normal operations.
Crews were on the scene for about four hours, battling the blaze.
Another barn and a semi-trailer were also lost in the fire.
