Pigs killed in barn fire at Prestage Farms in Clinton

CLINTON, N.C – A barn fire in Person County killed dozens of pigs in Sampson County Wednesday evening.

The fire was reported at Prestage Farms on Pignose Lane in Clinton before 7:45 p.m.

A spokesman for Prestage Farms said the fire only started in a barn on the farm property.

The barn that burned down was a farrowing pen used for the birth of piglets and houses about 380 sows and their piglets.

It was unclear how many pigs died in the fire, but the spokesman said about 300 pigs survived.

The spokesman said no one was in the barn when the fire started. A contractor working in a field on the farm property saw the fire and contacted management, who called emergency responders.

According to the Roseboro Fire Department, 50 firefighters from 14 fire stations in three counties responded to the fire.

Sampson County fire marshals were on scene Thursday to survey the damage. Farm workers will clean up the site and assess the damage.

“We are definitely grateful to all the fire departments who responded and worked so hard to contain the effects of the fire,” the farm spokesman said.