Two barrel warehouses filled with bourbon caught fire Tuesday night, with firefighters trying to contain the flames still burning in a facility holding about 45,000 barrels of Jim Beam.
Flames and smoke rise from a bourbon warehouse fire at a Jim Beam distillery in Woodford County, Ky., Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Firefighters from four counties responded to the blaze that erupted late Tuesday. Pat McDonogh/Courier Journal via AP
Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler told local news station WKYT that crews were able to extinguish the fire in one warehouse, but a second kept burning on Wednesday morning. Chandler estimates firefighters could be working at the scene through Wednesday night, according to WKYT.
The news station reported that a second emergency response team was tasked with bringing foam to contain the fire, and a local business was hauling sand to the scene to limit runoff from flowing into a nearby creek.
Chandler said the initial fire, which spread to the second warehouse, may have been sparked by a lightning strike, according to WKYT.
Woodford County Emergency Management and Jim Beam’s parent company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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