Strong winds helped fan the flames on a major fire that consumed a west Keyes agriculture industrial building used to process poultry eggs Thursday afternoon.
Multiple fire agencies including Ceres, Keyes, Hughson, Turlock and Modesto responded to the fire which broke at 12:59 p.m. at the Gemperle Farms facility on Bystrum Road south of Bronco Winery and east of Crows Landing Road. Flames broke out in the northern most of two buildings, sending up a large plume of smoke visible from Modesto to Delhi.
Gemperle Farms said they lost 280,000 chickens in the fire. No human injuries were reported.
“The building was completely involved when I arrived,” said Ceres Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Serpa, “so anything that was inside is going to perish.”
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