PIERREPONT MANOR, N.Y. -- "I think the firefighters did an excellent job containing the fire to the area that was on fire when they arrived," Jefferson County Deputy Fire Coordinator Bob Simpson said.

Upon arrival, firefighters knew there was no way to save the feed processing plant at Houghton Farm Supply in Pierrepont Manor. It is where the company mixes and creates food to sell to farms as animal feed.

"The fire was well involved when we arrived," Simpson said. "The fire was as high as the grain elevator at one point in time."

So they immediately focused their attention on the working dairy farm only feet away. It houses hundreds of animals. And even though sparks were flying over that farm, their efforts were a success.

"This has got a lot of additions," Simpson said of the McConnell Farm next door. "There's a lot of parts to the barn, including the milking port on the other side. There's a lot here that could have been involved without the quick efforts of the firefighters."

By late Wednesday morning, the fire was under control. And investigators, both local and from the state, were on hand to try and clear out the area and hopefully find a cause.

Now the Houghton Family didn't want to talk to us on camera, but did tell us it's too early to know what's next. It's estimated the damages

are hundreds of thousands of dollars at the very least.

Firefighters were able to save the Houghton Farm Supply Store that sits in front of the processing building.