Thousands of chickens burned in fire in Merced County, officials say

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A fire at JS West Farming company resulted in a major loss of both the building and chickens.

Merced County Fire responded to fire on Sunday at around 7:40 pm.

When crews arrived, they found heavy black smoke revealing that 50% of the 50,000 square-foot building was involved in the fire.

Officials say roughly 170,000 chickens were burned in the fire.

The cause is still under investigation.