In all, hundreds of thousands of gallons of bourbon poured into the Kentucky River last night. The oak barrels in the building were capable of storing more than 10 million gallons. Two biologists from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources assessed the potential damage to the river by boat last night, said Sgt. Steve Votaw of the agency. A full emergency-response crew was scheduled to arrive today to continue an assessment.
Alcohol can kill fish and other aquatic life.
The Wild Turkey plant is off Ky. 62, on a hill overlooking the Kentucky River about 30 miles west of Lexington. More than 80 firefighters responded to yesterday's blaze, and the city of Lexington sent a truck and firefighters to cover the city of Lawrenceburg while most attention was focused on the Wild Turkey fire. Two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and were taken to a hospital in Frankfort. Lawrenceburg Mayor Gary Chilton said shutting down the city's pumping station yesterday left the city with less than two days' worth of water. The city asked people to restrict water consumption to essential needs.