Andrews – An intense fire destroyed one of nine industrial-size chicken coops at Andrews Valley Poultry Farm on Friday night.
Firefighters from Valleytown Fire & Rescue and throughout Cherokee County responded to the blaze around 10 p.m. Friday. Andrews Valley Poultry Farm is part of Dutt & Wagner of North Carolina. The facility is at 417 Taylors Creek Road off of Fairview Road, between Andrews and Marble.
“It was a very large operation.,” Cherokee County Fire Marshal Kevin Carter said. “Every fire department in the county played a role as well as EM (Emergency Management), my office, EMS, law enforcement and Town of Andrews water department. Had neighboring states doing standby for us while our guys were engaged in this fire.”
Justin Hyde, chief of Valleytown Fire & Rescue, said the dispatch for a commercial structure fire went out at 9:18 p.m. Friday to his department, along with automatic aid fire departments throughout the county.
“Upon our arrival, fire department personnel observed one large commercial structure of the Andrews Valley Poultry Farm fully involved,” Hyde said.
He requested Cherokee County E-911 Communications to page a countywide response from all departments for additional water tankers needed to respond to the incident.
86,000 chickens lost
Fire departments battled the intense fire until 3:16 a.m. Saturday and monitored the smoldering remains afterward. The cause and origin of the fire is still under investigation.
The fire caused an estimated $5 million property loss, but there were no injuries. However, Hyde said the owners told him there were about 86,000 chickens in the building at the time of the fire, and all of them died.
Fire departments that responded in addition to Valleytown included Peachtree, Murphy, Martins Creek, Bellview, Ranger, Culberson, Wolf Creek, Hiwassee Dam, Unaka, Hanging Dog, Clay County Fire, Fannin County (Ga.) Fire & Rescue, Union County (Ga.) Fire ,Cherokee County Fire Marshal, Cherokee County Emergency Management Services, Cherokee County Emergency Management and Cherokee County E-911 Communications.
The facility
Andrews Valley Poultry Farm was established in 2017 following the Wagner family’s acquisition of the assets of Parker & Reichman Inc. of P&R Farms. Since then, the Andrews Valley has grown into one of North Carolina’s premier cage-free egg producers, the company says on its website.
“The farm features state-of-the-art facilities, including a newly constructed feed mill, two cage-free pullet houses and expanded capacity for more than 800,000 cage-free layers. The Wagner family is committed to preserving and building upon the legacy of Parker & Reichman by blending sustainable farming practices with innovative poultry production methods.”
Parker & Reichman Farms was founded in 1948 by Polish immigrants Eric Reichman and his business partner, Joseph Parker. Reichman escaped from the Holocaust in Poland. He later joined a Polish unit under British command to fight against the Nazis in World War II.
After the war, he resettled in New York, where he connected with Solomon Salman, a former tannery owner from Marble. Facing unpredictable leather tariffs, Salman converted his tannery into a poultry farm.
“Recognizing the growing demand for affordable protein in post-war America, Salman encouraged Reichman to join him in the South, promising he could earn enough in the poultry business in five years to return to England. Reichman never left,” according to the company website.
Under the direction of Eric’s son, Andrew Reichman, Parker & Reichman became one of the first fully integrated egg farms in the Southern United States.
The operation included raising pullets, producing feed and operating a dedicated egg-processing facility to ensure quality and efficiency. These pioneering efforts cemented the company’s reputation as a leader in the egg industry.
Andrews Valley Poultry Farm and Dutt & Wagner of North Carolina Inc. continue those traditions today.
“With a strong commitment to cage-free production, sustainability, and responsible farming, the Wagner family has modernized and expanded operations while honoring the values of quality, innovation and integrity established by the Reichman family more than 70 years ago,” according to the company.