Massive Blaze Kills Thousands Of Chickens At Illinois Egg Farm

GRANT PARK, IL — A five-alarm fire Tuesday at an egg farm in Grant Park killed tens of thousands of chickens, WMAQ said. Firefighters from the Grant Park Fire Department and 35 other nearby departments battled the blaze for hours at Konos-owned Mussman's Back Acres Egg Farm in Kankakee County, destroying two farm warehouses that held chickens, according to a farm spokesman, WMAQ said.

Officials said each of the warehouses burned was the length of two football fields, and the Grant Park Fire District said the buildings were connected.

Crews used 750,000 gallons of water to fight the flames, and had to bring in water from a fire hydrant several miles away, WMAQ reported. According to the Grant Park Fire District, crews battled the blaze for more than 10 hours, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

"These firefighters worked hand in hand under strenuous and cold conditions to control the incident," the fire department said.

Farm officials told WMAQ firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to other buildings that housed hundreds of thousands more chickens, and they should still be able to complete egg orders. There were no injuries reported.

More details: Grant Park Fire District

Patch will update this story as more information comes in.

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