7000 baby turkeys die in fire; Thanksgiving orders affected

Thanksgiving may be ruined for Bob’s Turkey Farm after the free-range farm lost 7,000 baby turkeys in a fire Thursday. The family that owns it says it is one of the largest turkey-breeding operations in New England.

Lancaster Fire Department Chief Michael Hanson told WCVB-TV, Boston, firefighters initially focused on keeping two other barns from catching fire.

“We spend day in and day out feeding, watering, nurturing and growing these animals and to say we are jolted by the loss of so many lives is not enough”, the company, based in Lancaster, Massachusetts, said.

A state fire marshal spokeswoman says no one was injured in the Thursday night fire at at Bob’s Turkey Farm on Old Common Road. They said the farm is their livelihood and they are devastated by the fire.

“Someone drove in the yard really fast”, said Susan Miner.

The fire remains under investigation, but at this point it does not appear to be suspicious, officials said. Miner said the farm will be working throughout the day to clean through debris with the help of friends and community members, as well as monitor the stress level of their surviving birds. “Small birds such as the ones we lost have specific needs”, farm owners wrote on Facebook.

In posts on the farm’s Facebook page, the family responded to speculation that the barn was overcrowded, leading to the deaths of so many turkeys.

No people were harmed during the fire.