An early Thursday morning fire destroyed the West Point Stockyards.
West Point Fire Chief Ken Wilbourne said the fire started before 4 a.m. Thursday. Firefighters arrived to the Highway 45 Alternate location to find the front of the building fully engulfed in flames.
“When we arrived, the front barn building was completely consumed,” Wilbourne said. “There was no way to do an internal operation. We had to keep the trucks 200 feet away due to the heat, initially.”
Wilbourne said firefighters were able to move livestock from the back of the Stockyard safely. After that, he said, all they could do was keep the fire from spreading.
“It was a total loss,” Wilbourne said. “No livestock was hurt or lost. No firefighters or anyone else was hurt.”
Wilbourne said Clay County volunteer firefighter units 100, 200 and 700 assisted in the response to Thursday’s fire. He also thanked 4County Power Association for shutting off power to the building and the West Point Light & Water Department for providing equipment to help eliminate hot spots in the blaze’s aftermath.
Officials were still investigating the fire’s cause as of Thursday afternoon. Wilbourne said foul play did not seem to be a factor.
“At the moment, there’s nothing that definitely points to that,” he said.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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