50,000 ducks die in fire at Brome Lake Ducks near Racine, Quebec

Approximately 50,000 ducksdied in afire Friday at a duck farmnear Racine, Que., about an hour and a halffrom Montreal.

One of the two buildings at theBromeLake Ducks facility was destroyed in the fire, which began around 7 p.m., Radio-Canada reported.

The company's CEO, Claude Trottier, estimatedthe fire caused $3 million in damage.

"This is a major site for us, it's also a research site.It's a big loss for us,"Trottier told Radio-Canada.

Valcourt firefighters responded to the fire, but required backup from Richmond, Saint-Denis-de-Brompton and Saint-Christine.

"Fortunately, the wind was in the right direction and the flames were spreading to the snowy field and not to the second building," said Valcourtfire ChiefEric Arsenault.

The firefighters do not know the cause of the blaze and are not investigating it as a crime.

BromeLake Ducks, which has been in business since 1912, specializesin breedingPekinduckthe mostwidely bredcommercialduckaccording to the U.K.Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International.

The company uses the ducks for both their meat and eggs.