June 26 (UPI) -- The partial collapse of a bourbon warehouse in Kentucky leaked alcohol into nearby waterways, killing hundreds of fish, state environmental officials said.
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said they found 1,000 dead fish in Withrow Creek and Beach Fork River near the site of the Barton 1792 distillery in Bardstown, Ky. They believe the bourbon is to blame.
"I think it's pretty obvious why they died," John Mura, director of communications for the agency, told CNN.
Part of a warehouse collapsed Friday, causing 9,000 barrels of bourbon to crash to the ground. The warehouse, one of several buildings on the distillery's 192-acre site, held about 18,000 barrels of aging bourbon.
The state agency said it would issue a violation notice to Sazerac Inc., the New Orleans-based owner of the distillery.
Officials said it could take weeks to determine the full effects of the collapse, the cause of which was under investigation. The warehouse was undergoing repairs at the time of the collapse.
