KY bourbon warehouse fire leaves massive fish kill downstream

Wildlife officials in Kentucky report thousands of dead fish are surfacing not far from where a bourbon warehouse went up in flames last week.

The Beam Suntory ware house in Versailles caught fire Tuesday with 45,000 barrels of Jim Beam whiskey inside.

The fire took a few days to burn itself out.  Over the past few days, the nearby Kentucky River has been saturated with runoff from the fire.

On Sunday, the Kentucky Energy and Environment reported a plume of alcohol in the river, measuring more than 20 miles in length.

Multiple agencies are responding to the environmental disaster.  They're using water sampling and water field screening instruments to measure the quality of the water.

Aeration devices are now being used in an effort to reduce the number of fish being killed.

Wildlife officials say the plume will likely reach the Ohio River and should dissipate.