SAUK CENTRE, Minn. — A farmer in central Minnesota is counting his losses after a barn fire claimed thousands of turkeys.
The Stearns County Sheriff's Office said first responders were dispatched to a farm on McCormic Lake Road in Sauk Centre Township around 10:30 p.m. April 30. By the time deputies and fire rigs arrived the barn was fully engulfed.
Responders say they were told by the owner, 46-year-old Peter Klaphake, that 7,000 turkeys were housed inside the barn when it went up in flames. None of them survived.
While investigators are still looking for an official cause, they do say the fire appears to have started in the barn's mechanical room. The structure - which measured approximately 200 feet by 64 feet - appears to be a total loss.
Sauk Centre firefighters were helped out by departments from Melrose and Freeport, and personnel from several area police departments.
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