Update: Jim Beam Distillery has released a statement on the fires.
Late last night, a major fire engulfed two Jim Beam bourbon barrel warehouses on McCracken Pike in Woodford County, Kentucky.
The first warehouse to catch fire spread those flames to the nearest building. While one of the warehouses was able to be saved relatively quickly, the other is a complete loss and still burning as of 7:30 AM EST Wednesday morning. Courier-Journal reporter Billy Kobin says crews on the scene will still need several hours to continue fighting the blaze.
It’s estimated that the Jim Beam warehouse destroyed by the fire held 45,000 barrels of bourbon.
Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler told local news station WKYT that it’s possible that the fire was sparked by a lighting strike. The heavy storms over the last month were also listed as a possible cause for the recent warehouse collapse at O.Z. Tyler Distillery in the western part of the state.
WKYT also reports that a local business is using sandbags to help control the runoff from the fire into nearby Glenn’s Creek.
McCracken Pike, also home to Castle & Key and Glenn’s Creek Distilling, is shut down while crews secure the area.
Update: Jim Beam Distillery has released a statement on the fires.