Multiple fire departments from Auglaize, Mercer, and Shelby counties were called in to battle a poultry barn fire just outside of St. Marys.
The St. Marys Township Fire Department was called out to 5087 County Road 33A just before 11 a.m. When they arrived, heavy smoke and fire could be seen coming from the south side of the large poultry barn. Firefighters had to get out of the structure after part of the building collapsed, and fire officials believed there was a risk of even more coming down. The structure is considered a total loss, and damage estimates are around $2 million. The wind contributed to the fire crew's difficulty in fighting the fire.
“When we first arrived on scene the southern doors were open and with the wind direction it is pushing the fire to the north. The building sits north to south so it’s still pushing this way,” says St. Marys Township Fire Chief Chad Hicks. “We have no injuries reported, I did speak with the owners, and this morning they loaded the last chickens out. To our knowledge, there is no animal loss at this time.”
Chief Hicks says the fire was under control around 4:30 Tuesday afternoon. The Ohio State Fire Marshal was called in to investigate the cause of the fire. Around 100 firefighters were on scene to fight the fire.
