The fire was reported around 5:30 a.m. off of Brothers Road, about a mile outside of La Grange, according to Lenoir County Emergency Manager Roger Dail.

The turkey house was burned to the ground, he said. According to WITN.com, it was a wooden frame with a tin roof.

Butterball says it happened at Hill Top Farms, which is an independently-owned poultry barn. Hill Top is a contract farmer for Butterball.

La Grange Fire Chief Wesley Sutton says a worker woke up around 5:30 a.m. to check on the turkeys, that's when he noticed a turkey house was on fire.

The worker called firefighters, but there was nothing they could do because the house had already bottomed out. Sutton believes the house had been burning for hours. It could continue to smolder for another day.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fire Ruled Accidental

Authorities say the fire was an accident.

Lenoir County Emergency Services Director Roger Dail says while the fire was accidental, the exact cause has been ruled undetermined.

Mr Dail says damage was estimated at $200,000 and that doesn't include the cost of the turkeys.