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7,000 young turkeys die in Massachusetts barn fire

The fire occurred at family-owned Bob's Turkey Farm in Lancaster.

By Ed Adamczyk
A fire at a Lancaster, Mass., turkey farm Thursday killed 7,000 young turkeys. Photo courtesy of Bob's Turkey Farm/Facebook
A fire at a Lancaster, Mass., turkey farm Thursday killed 7,000 young turkeys. Photo courtesy of Bob's Turkey Farm/Facebook

LANCASTER, Mass., July 1 (UPI) -- A barn fire at a Lancaster, Mass., farm killed 7,000 young turkeys destined to be Thanksgiving meals.

The turkeys, all between 1 day and 3 weeks old, died when a barn at Bob's Turkey Farm, described as able to accommodate a football field, caught fire Thursday. No people were injured, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.

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Lancaster Fire Department Chief Michael Hanson told WCVB-TV, Boston, firefighters initially focused on keeping two other barns from catching fire. The young turkeys, called poults, were concentrated in a single barn because of special needs including heat and special feed, the family-owned business said. It added municipal fire departments in the area responded to the fire.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the wonderful men and women from multiple towns who came out to help extinguish the fire today and lend a hand. Firemen, EMTs, National Grid [power company], our electrician, family and friends. You all had a massive impact on today's events and the silver lining in this devastation is the outpouring of love and help we have received and continue to receive. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do," a statement on the farm's Facebook page read.

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The farm's website said it provides thousands of Thanksgiving turkeys.

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