Update: $3 million loss in chicken facility under construction in north Stanislaus County
A 22,500-square-foot chicken-raising facility under construction in northeastern Stanislaus County burned Monday — an estimated $3 million loss, according to the Modesto Fire Department.
The structure’s value prior to the fire was put at $5 million, Battalion Chief Darin Jesberg said.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the Ceres Fire Department posted on social media that the fire involved structures and vegetation, but Jesberg said no vegetation ended up burning.
In a text message to The Bee in the 3 p.m. hour, he said the fire had been knocked down and was smoldering.
The fire was in the area of Dunton and Milton roads, about four miles north of Woodward Reservoir. It involved multiple outbuildings, reported Modesto Fire, which was assisted by Cal Fire and the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District.
The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation, Jesberg said.
Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit Supervisor Dustin Bruley told The Bee in an email, “Preliminary information gathered by investigators indicates there was active welding and metal torch cutting occurring within the property grounds.”
This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 2:09 PM.
