A fire of unknown origin leveled a 25,000-square-foot poultry building and caused an estimated $2 million in damage Thursday at Pine Hill Egg Ranch in Ramona, Cal Fire officials said.
The blaze erupted at about 5:30 p.m. in the 25800 block of state Route 78 in the rural Witch Creek community, according to Cal Fire. The egg ranch is owned by the Demler Brothers.
Ground crews and personnel in air tankers and water-dropping helicopters battled the flames, primarily working to keep them from spreading to two other large buildings on the property or into surrounding foliage, said Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette.
An estimated 70,000 chickens were reported to be in the building, but officials have not determined how many were lost in the fire, Cornette said.
“We haven’t been able to enter the building yet, we are still in a defensive mode,” Cornette said about 8 p.m. Thursday.
Firefighters had the blaze contained as of about 6:45 p.m., Cornette said.
On Nov. 8, Pine Hill Egg Ranch received a cease-and-desist order from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board after a report that contaminated wastewater from its egg-processing and composting facilities had gotten into stormwater basins and two nearby creeks.
A three-year investigation by regional water quality board staff found that improperly treated wastewater from the egg-processing facility was flowing into stormwater basins on the property, according to the report. The foul-smelling water made its way into the Santa Teresa Valley Creek after heavy rains in the early months of 2023, and testing showed high levels of ammonium-nitrate and phosphorus, the report said.
The facility was also found to be conducting composting without a permit, the report said. In addition, no linings were used to prevent contaminated water from getting into the local groundwater supply, and exposed chicken carcasses were found strewn around the property, according to the report.
The cause of the blaze, which resulted in no reported injuries, was under investigation, Cornette said.
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