WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. — The Jim Beam warehouse fire in Woodford County may be under control, but the effects of it will be felt for a while.
The alcohol is floating away into the Kentucky River and officials have already found some dead fish. 45,000 barrels of bourbon were destroyed after Tuesday's fire and more than 2 million gallons of bourbon is gone.
"When it enters the water it creates an environment where bacteria multiply and feed on it and that same bacteria uses up all the oxygen in the water and that's what kills the fish," John Mura with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said.
Bourbon flowed from the fire and into Glenns Creek which eventually flowed into the Kentucky River. Officials are worried the runoff will make its way to Frankfort. It is too early to determine how much bourbon spilled into the water, but state officials said the goal is to provide oxygen for the fish by placing aerators in the creek.
"In this case, I believe it takes the water and it throws it into the air and it aerates it so that way it becomes oxygen rich and then it falls back down and it helps," Mura said.
Crews from the Energy and Environment Cabinet and the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will sample the water every day.
"They will look at the conditions of the river and they're checking for oxygen to see how it's affecting the aquatic life and we are also taking measurements to determine where this plume of alcohol-rich water actually is," Mura said.
Fishing and other activities along the river are still allowed, but officials are warning community members to be extra cautious.
"They may encounter an alcohol odor and they may see discolored water from the charcoal that was contained from these barrels," Mura said.
Until the bourbon dilutes officials said do not eat any fish from the river that look bad. Crews plan to be at the site collecting samples for the next several weeks or until the runoff stops.
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