45,000 Barrels of Jim Beam Destroyed in Fire Were Possibly Hit by Lightning
Drinkers nationwide are in mourning today, as 45,000 barrels of Jim Beam have been destroyed in a fire. Kentucky firefighters are still trying to extinguish a Jim Beam warehouse, which caught fire late last night.
According to CBS News, two barrel warehouses caught fire on July 2. Crews were able to extinguish one, but another has continued burning for hours. Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler tells WLKY that the fire may have been caused by lightning.
Photos and video of the massive fire have been shared across social media:
One reporter says emergency management officials expect the fire to burn for several more hours:
Bloomberg anticipates the fire caused between $90-$300 million in lost spirits. Thankfully, since the product lost was “relatively young whiskey,” the fire “will not impact the availability of Jim Beam for customers,” said an official Beam Suntory spokesman.
The liquor company operates roughly 126 warehouses in Kentucky that hold approximately 3.3 million barrels, so the fire only took about 1.4 percent of Beam Suntory’s total product.
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