Wednesday morning at approximately 3:30, the Caneyville and Leitchfield Fire Departments were dispatched to 5614 Caney Creek Church Road on the report of a structure fire.
Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters found a section of a 500 feet x 40 feet chicken barn on fire. Inside were 24,100 baby chicks, only six to seven days old, according to the owner’s father.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to a small section of the metal-frame building by extinguishing the fire within 15 minutes after arrival.
While the baby chickens were housed in a part of the barn about 120 feet from where the fire raged, according to the owner’s father, most if not all of the chickens will likely perish due to smoke inhalation, and the newborn’s delicate nature.
Firefighters conducted a thorough overhaul of the structure using a thermal imaging device to ensure there were no remaining hot spots in the building.
According to Leitchfield Fire Chief Tim Duvall and Caneyville Assistant Fire Chief Marion Mudd, the fire began in a heater located on the ground inside the barn.
Caneyville fire personnel cleared the scene at 5:00, about 20 minutes after Leitchfield fire personnel (with the exception of Duvall who also cleared at 5:00).
There were no injuries reported.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
