80,000 Chickens Killed In Blaze After Electric Motor Overheats At Connecticut Farm

LEBANON, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A fire at a Connecticut egg farm that killed an estimated 80,000 chickens was likely caused by an overheated electric motor.

Fire Marshal Scott Schuett said the official cause of the fire Tuesday at Kofkoff Egg Farms in Lebanon will likely remain undetermined, but it appears to have started in a motor that powers conveyor belts that move chicken waste, food, water and eggs in and out of the coops.

No people were reported injured in the blaze, which drew about 125 firefighters from 25 departments across the region.

Schuett says the blaze was limited to one of the farm's 13 roughly 32,000-square foot coops.

It could not be determined which motor inside the coops was the one that started the blaze, given the damaged conditions of the building, the Hartford Courant reported.

A blaze at the same farm 27 years ago to the day killed 216,000 chickens. That was also ruled an accident.

According to the Courant, the egg farm is home to around a million chickens.

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