Fire at an Ohio farm complex kills about 6,000 hogs

LONDON, Ohio (AP) — A fire at an Ohio hog farm complex killed about 6,000 pigs and unleashed a large plume of smoke that could be seen for miles across the rural landscape, an official said. Multiple fire departments responded amid sustained winds of about 20 mph (32 kph) and gusts reaching up to 35 mph (56 kph), which accelerated the fire's spread, and because water supplies in the area were limited, extensive water shuttle operations were needed. Two of five large agricultural buildings were "heavily involved in fire," and it took five hours to bring it under control, Chief Brian Bennington of the Central Townships Joint Fire District said. About 1,500 hogs survived and were taken elsewhere, he said. No people were hurt. Bennington said the hog waste stored below the buildings was contained, with no concern for impacts on surrounding groundwater. An Associated Press reporter visited Fine Oak Farms on Thursday, a day after the fire. A little bit of smoke could still be seen rising from the burned down area. A darkened structure was partially collapsed, and charred debris was piled beside several darkened metal silos where flames had ripped through. But the impact appeared concentrated in one area of the farm complex, with other nearby buildings left largely intact. The Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the fire's cause and origin. Bennington said there is no suspicion of arson at this time. An email seeking information was sent to the office. Records filed with the Ohio Secretary of State's office show that the business, in Madison County near the community of London, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Columbus, was registered in 2017, and that Dave Heisler was named its agent. Email and phone messages were sent Thursday to Heisler, and related messages were sent via social media to another business he is affiliated with. A man who identified himself as the business operations manager declined to comment. A phone message seeking comment also was left with a spokesperson for the Ohio Pork Council. As of January, more than 99,000 farm animals had been killed in U.S. barn fires already this year, according to statistics compiled by the Animal Welfare Institute. The vast majority of those were chickens killed in separate large barn fires in North Carolina and Georgia in January. Before Thursday, three of the dozen barn fires recorded so far this year were in Ohio, killing 162 sheep, cows, horses and other animals. Allie Granger, a policy adviser for the Animal Welfare Institute, called the Ohio incident "a very horrific event" and called for a thorough investigation. "We're very devastated to see that the fire has happened," she said. "Unfortunately, these events are a little more common than most people think."