PORTLAND, Wis. — More than 120 birds were killed in a barn fire at a Wisconsin hatchery, authorities said.
Twenty laying hens and at least 100 peafowl died at Abendroth Hatchery in the town of Portland, located between Milwaukee and Madison, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Lt. Matt Petrie of the Waterloo Fire Department said the agency was paged at 9:02 p.m. CDT by the owner of the hatchery, the State Journal reported.
Petrie said close to 20 area fire departments responded to the fire, the website reported. He said the barn was destroyed, and damages were estimated at $180,000.
According to the Abendroth Hatchery website, the family-owned business hatches 15,000 birds a week and ships poultry -- including chickens, ducks and turkeys -- throughout the U.S.