Large fire burns through Oakdell Egg Farms in Cache County
Apr 23, 2024, 9:50 PM | Updated: Apr 24, 2024, 3:34 pm
LEWISTON, Cache County — A four-alarm fire at the Oakdell Egg Farm in Lewiston left scores of chickens dead on Tuesday.
The farm is located in Lewiston near the Utah-Idaho border, about 20 miles north of Logan.
“It’s a big fire, we haven’t had a fire like this in a long time,” said Jason Winn, the Fire Marshall for Cache County Fire District. “It’s unfortunate. I feel for Oakdell, a lot of money got burned up today.”
Huge plumes of smoke could be seen for miles in Cache County. Winn says the 20,000-square-foot barn was filled with about 120,000 chickens. He says Oakdell Farms produces about a million eggs daily at that location.
“It’s a big, long barn with chicken feeders and water running through it and that’s where they keep their chickens,” Winn told KSL TV.
Investigators say the barn went up in flames at about 4 p.m. Dozens of firefighters from the Cache Valley and across the Idaho border arrived to respond, but the fire escalated to a four-alarm inferno.
Firefighters were able to keep it from spreading to other barns, also holding tens of thousands of chickens in them.
Winn says the biggest challenge has been the water supply, with a force of tankers transporting water to the scene.
“We don’t have fire hydrants, so water supply is a [huge concern.] So, we have to do a tender task force that brings trucks out of all the cities in the valley. It takes a minute to get the tenders here,” Winn said.
“That fire is running through the top of those barns, [so] it’s pretty tough to get to the fire. We weren’t going to put any firefighters in the building. It was a defensive fire, [and] with the [tin construction] it creates a huge challenge to get water inside and get the fire put out.”
The cause is still under investigation. Oakdell did not comment on scene.
Oakdell eggs are currently sold in eleven states including Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, California, Alaska, and Hawaii, according to the company’s website.
Eggs are sold in major grocery chains such as Smith’s/Kroger, Costco, Harmons, WinCo, Whole Foods, Safeway/Albertsons, and many Associated Food Store including Dick’s, Dan’s, Fresh Market, Lee’s, Lin’s, Macey’s, and other independent grocers.
They’re sold under the Oakdell Egg Farms brand as well as many favorite store brands.
