High winds topple 3 egg barns

August 5, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

CROTON, Ohio

High winds reaching 70 mph knocked over three barns Wednesday at Ohio’s largest egg farm, killing two workers, authorities said.

Two construction workers who were laying concrete blocks at Ohio Fresh Eggs were killed in one of the barns, said Bill Schwaderer, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Three others escaped with minor injuries.

Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp blamed the collapses on high winds. The National Weather Service said the area, about 25 miles northeast of Columbus, was hit by a line of strong thunderstorms with winds estimated at 60 to 70 mph.

The barns had been empty of hens for several years and were being renovated, Schwaderer said. Water and electricity had been turned off for the renovation.

The barns were made of cinder blocks and had metal roofs, Monroe Township fire Chief Dudley Wright said.

Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp identified the victims as Kevin Maddox, 25, and Joseph Dixon, 33. They were employed by an outside contractor, not by the farm, Ohio Fresh Eggs spokeswoman Hinda Mitchell said.

Both bodies had been removed from the rubble, she said. Authorities closed a long country road leading to the farm, causing a backup of trucks headed to other farms.

Ohio Fresh Eggs produces about 5 million eggs per day at operations in three counties. It has a history of clean-water law violations and complaints from neighbors about fly and rodent infestations.

The Department of Agriculture revoked the farm’s permits to operate in 2003, but an appeals panel later reversed that decision.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year fined the company $300,000 for illegal water pollution.