On the afternoon of February 26th, a fire erupted in a relatively new barn equipped with an aviary installation holding 400,000 hens.  Local fire departments responded to the conflagration on the complex located near Bloomfield NE.

All employees were evacuated although the barn and flock were a total loss. Hens in adjoining houses were in all probability exposed to smoke inhalation. The Bloomfield complex holds close to four million hens and was recently converted from conventional cages.  Michael Foods with a total flock of approximately 13 million laying hens in the Midwest, Oregon and Washington states is owned by Post Holdings.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined but based on the investigation of previous fires, faulty electrical wiring, overheated control panels or malfunctioning ventilation fans are suspects.