Egg Producer Rebuilding After Fire

(photo courtesy of our partners at WTPA-TV)

An egg production facility in North Manchester is looking to rebuild after a massive fire last week. Our partners at WPTA-TV in Fort Wayne report one million chickens were killed and five poultry barns were destroyed at the Hi-Grade Egg Producers location.

Company President Bob Krause says debris removal began Thursday and he hopes to be back to 100 percent productivity by this time next year. A cause of the fire, which burned for nearly seven hours, has not yet been determined.

An estimated cost of the damage was not released. Krause says he hopes to begin rebuilding the poultry barns by next spring. Krause adds other egg production companies have stepped up to keep the supply running, which amounts to about 600,000 dozen eggs per week through the rest of the year.