JACKSON, Miss. – A fire that started in the barn at the Mississippi Agriculture Museum just around four Thursday afternoon was under control just after 6 o’clock. co-authored by Courtney Carter
The blaze spread quickly and destroyed the barnyard that housed animals as well as the maintenance building where nearly all of the equipment used at the museum was stored. Just what caused the fire still has not been determined.
An employee at the museum suffered a minor injury in the fire. They were taken to a hospital by ambulance to be checked out. Also, all of the animals housed in the barn are contained and are safe according to Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Cindy-Hyde Smith.
“We will definitely have to get into a building phase and a repair phase,” said Smith. “It’s just a lot of broken hearts.”
A board member at the museum confirmed that a budget planning meeting had taken place just hours before the fire to discuss future plans to improve the museum. He says those funds will now go to rebuilding, not just adding.
Two eyewitnesses were decorating one of the auditoriums at the museum when the fire started: