Fire kills 21,000 chicks at Lancashire farm

Birds perish after blaze engulfs single-storey shed

Around 21,000 chicks died in the fire (Reuters)

A fire at a chicken farm in Lancashire has killed around 21,000 chicks.

The birds were in a shed and perished when the blaze engulfed the single-storey building, measuring 70m by 20m.

Emergency services were sent to the farm on Rosemary Lane, Preston, around 8pm on Tuesday night to put out the flames but were unable to save the birds.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said no people have been injured in the fire.

“Five fire engines and an aerial ladder platform (ALP) and crews were assigned, two from Preston, one from Fulwood, one from Penwortham and ALP and support pump from Blackpool,” a spokesperson said.

Firefighters prevented the flames spreading to adjacent buildings and work has gone on overnight to reduce the fire to residual burning in isolated pockets.

The cause of the fire is yet to be established.

In May, firefighters in Belgium gassed 20,000 chicks which were suffocating in a container at Brussels Airport.

The mass euthanasia happened after a flight scheduled to take the birds to the Democratic Republic of Congo was cancelled.