250,000 Chickens Perish At Eggland's Best Fire In Dade City

DADE CITY, FL — More than 250,000 chickens perished Thursday when a fire broke out at Cal-Maine Foods at 41040 Simpson Farm Lane.

According to Pasco County Fire Rescue, three large barns caught fire around 12:30 a.m.

Fire rescue crews from Sumter, Hernando, Polk and Pasco counties called to put out the blaze, which was made more difficult since the nearest fire hydrant was three miles away.

Cal-Maine owns Eggland’s Best eggs, which is one of the biggest egg producers in the country. The multimillion-dollar business, which supplies eggs to stores around the country including Publix, was founded by the family of Florida Republican Sen. Wilton Simpson. He represents District 10, which includes parts of Pasco County, Hernando and Citrus counties.

Simpson was elected Senate president on Nov. 17 and will serve from 2020-22.

The Dade City egg farm was once owned by Simpson Farms Inc., operated by Simpson. Simpson Farms still operates an egg farm in Trilby where he lives.

Estimates put losses at Cal-Maine Foods at more than $1 million.

The fire comes just days after Simpson tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing him to step away from serving as one of the state's 29 electors set to cast ballots for President Donald Trump.