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7,000 Turkeys Killed In Fire At Lancaster Farm

LANCASTER (CBS) – A massive fire at a farm in Lancaster killed 7,000 turkeys Thursday afternoon.

The fire ripped through a barn at Bob's Turkey Farm on Old Common Road. No people were injured.

On their Facebook page, the farm said the numbers are "devastating."

Turkey fire
A fire destroyed a barn at Bob's Turkey Farm in Lancaster (Image from Lancaster PD)

"We lost 7,000 turkeys tonight in the fire and one of our large barns," the farm said. "No people were harmed and we are all safe. These numbers are devastating to all that we are and we will update you as we know more as far as our future in the community."

Family told WBZ-TV that the 7,000 turkeys were all recently hatched and 2,600 of them had just hatched Thursday morning. They were all going to be sold this Thanksgiving.

Bob's Turkey Farm
A fire destroyed a barn at Bob's Turkey Farm in Lancaster (Photo from Facebook/@BobsTurkeyFarm)

"It's the loss of 7,000 little lives and its the loss of a livelihood. A generational span of love and commitment to something," Bob Van Hoof's granddaughter, Jennifer Miner said.

The farm says multiple towns responded and were able to contain the fire.

It is unclear how the fire started.

The farm was founded in 1954 by Bob Van Hoof. According to its web site, it provides thousands of Thanksgiving turkeys to the region every year.

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