The toll in the first three months included at least 85,000 chickens in North Carolina, 6,000 pigs in Ohio and more than 70 animals in a New York barn fire.
The report says crowded factory-farm barns, faulty electrical or heating equipment and poor fire prevention leave animals trapped, while owners can be reimbursed for losses treated as property damage.
It says 6.8 million farm animals died in fires from 2013 to 2023, with more than 1.5 million in 2024, and warns severe West Coast fire season risks could worsen losses.
Are mass animal deaths in fires an unavoidable cost of cheap food, or a solvable crisis?
With 'cage-free' farms burning, what truly makes our food system safe and humane?
Beyond insurance payouts, what financial incentives can make farm safety truly profitable?