Fire destroys thousands of barrels of Jim Beam bourbon

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Two warehouses that held thousands of barrels of aging Jim Beam bourbon have been destroyed along with the liquor stored inside.

Fire crews in Versailles, Kentucky, were called to the blaze Tuesday night, WKYT reported.

Officials said a fire started in one of the buildings and eventually spread to the second, but fire crews were able to douse the second fire eventually.

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About 45,000 barrels of aging bourbon were in the first warehouse that continued to burn into Wednesday morning, WKYT reported.

One barrel holds 53 gallons or between 150 to 200 bottles of liquor, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

Officials said it may take crews six to eight hours to put that part of the fire out, the newspaper reported.

Fire officials said the fire may have started with a lightning strike, but that has not been confirmed, WKYT reported.

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