Barn fires in Michigan and Pennsylvania destroy equipment, claim chickens

May 02, 2017

Both fires occurred on April 30

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Two U.S. farming communities are recovering after devastating barn fires.

A barn fire in Michigan’s Casco Township on April 30 destroyed the equipment stored inside.

South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) responded to the fire at 6:10 a.m. to find the barn fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters and emergency personnel from Columbia, Ganges, Bangor and Covert were called in to provide backup at the scene and fire stations.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but isn’t considered suspicious, according to Fox17.

The estimated damage is also unknown.

Firefighters battle a blaze at a farm in Michigan's Casco Township.
Photo: South Haven Area Emergency Services

A barn fire in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County claimed the lives of about 20,000 chickens.

Firefighters received the call around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

Upon arrival to the location in Strasburg Township, the crews encountered a 500- foot chicken barn fully engulfed in flames.

Nine engine companies, 13 tanker companies and two truck companies manage to control the fire in about three hours, Refton Fire Company Chief Wesley Hicks told The Associated Press.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the estimated damage is unknown.

Comments on the Refton Fire Company’s Facebook page suggest the barn belonged to the Breckbill family.

Farms.com has reached out to the family for comment.

Video: New colours and more durability for Case IH RB6 round balers

Farmers will see a new look and more efficiency and durability from Case IH's RB6 Series variable chamber round balers for model year 2026. In this report from the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois, Case livestock product specialist Brian Williams notes that the first thing farmers will notice is a new colour scheme. "For the tailgate, the frame, and also the pickup, we've changed to our Case IH red colour. One of the really nice things about changing that colour scheme is that you're able to see that crop flowing into the baler much better from the tractor." There's also changes to the pickup with the addition of a second roller. "On the 566 model, you can get it with the double windrower roller," says Williams. "For our customers that are baling corn stalks or large windrows, it helps to push that windrow down to let that feed into the chamber, so that they're able to bale a little bit faster, because everyone's looking for better efficiency." There are also modifications to the rollers in the bale chamber — the stripper roll and the fixed roll have been combined into a one-piece roller. "There's no welds on those rollers, so the dependability is going to be far greater than our previous model," adds Williams.