FRAZEE, MN (WDAY/CNN) - Longtime turkey producers from Becker County are trying to figure out what started a fire that killed a barn-full of birds near Frazee.
Five fire departments worked to get the fire out.
“When I pulled up the center of the building was on fire and breaking through the roof,” said Albert Doll, the Frazee fire chief.
The biggest challenge when fighting the turkey barn fire was the length of the barn.
The barn was full of turkeys all lost in the fire.
“(The fire was) fully involved by the time we got here,” Doll said. “We had fire coming out both sides.”
When firefighters arrived, they also worked to save nearby turkey barns which also had birds in them but battling the burning barn was work.
“A lot of water, we pulled in mutual aid from every place from around the area, brought in as much water as we could as fast as we could to get the fire out," Doll said.
The irony of the fire was that the barn was due to be empty Friday and the turkeys on their way out.
It is estimated between 6,000 to 8,000 adult turkeys were lost in this fire costing New Life Farms of Perham, tens of thousands of dollars.
The cause of the fire is unknown. A state fire marshal will investigate.
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