ANDREWS, N.C. — Approximately 85,000 to 86,000 chickens died in a fire at Andrews Valley Poultry Farm in Cherokee County late, per WLOS.
The fire department responded to a call about the incident at 9:18 p.m. on Jan. 17. When they arrived, the 60-foot by 600-foot commercial building was already half engulfed in flames. No personnel were inside at the time, and all chickens inside the structure were lost in the fire. Firefighters fought the blaze for approximately six hours and finished their operations around 3 a.m. on Jan. 18.
The estimated damages from the fire are around $5 million.
Valleytown Fire Department Chief Justin Hyde stated that a county-wide request for tankers was made, as fire crews needed additional resources to manage the situation.
He mentioned, “It was a 60 feet by 600 feet commercial structure. When crews arrived, the fire was 50% involved. We requested a county-wide response for tankers.”Hyde further explained the timeline of the incident, saying, “It took us about 6 hours to put out the fire. Crews were there until about 3 a.m. Saturday morning.”
Fortunately, no injuries were reported among firefighters or other personnel during the firefighting efforts.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, with officials working to determine how the incident occurred.
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