Gemperle Farms poultry barn fire is third deadliest in the country for 2020

Apr 24, 2020
The Gemperle Farms barn fire Thursday that claimed the lives of 280,000 egg-laying hens was California’s most devastating fire this year and the third deadliest in the country. The Animal Welfare Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, tracks barn fires across the U.S. based on media reports.
 
Dena Jones, farm animal program director for the Animal Welfare Institute, said:
 
“AWI is dismayed to learn that 280,000 hens perished Thursday in a fire at Gemperle Farms in Stanislaus County, California. While we are relieved that no humans were injured, the horrible manner in which these animals died is a real tragedy.
 
Since the beginning of this year, more than one million farm animals have perished in potentially preventable barn fires across the United States. Of this total, 99 percent of the animals that have died were birds, mainly egg-laying hens. Since 2017, we have seen a significant increase in large barn fires that have claimed the lives of more than 2.8 million egg-laying hens.
 
The Gemperle fire marks California’s most devastating barn fire this year and the third deadliest barn fire in the country for 2020, according to media reports.
 
With virtually no legal protections in municipal codes or state laws, the onus is on the industry to protect animals from barn fires. However, the industry has yet to establish guidelines for fire prevention and suppression within animal housing facilities, leaving animals confined — often by the tens or even hundreds of thousands — at great risk.
 
AWI and its members recently sent more than 5,000 letters to the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association along with a petition signed by 10,000 consumers nationwide, calling on the organization to work with its members and industry partners to immediately address this issue and implement fire prevention strategies industry-wide.
 
Thursday’s tragic event further highlights an urgent need for change. We hope that before millions more animals are needlessly killed, the industry will make preventing barn fires a priority and work with all stakeholders to put forth meaningful solutions.”
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