34,000 chickens die in poultry farm fires in North Carolina, Virginia, officials say

An estimated 34,000 chickens died in poultry farm fires in North Carolina and Virginia over a 24-hour time period, according to media outlets and officials.

The fires started at 3:30 p.m. on two consecutive days.

Approximately 10,000 chickens were killed at a poultry house in North Carolina on Thursday before firefighters could put out the blaze, Chief M. Dale Couch of the Forbush Volunteer Fire Department told McClatchy News.

“The fire is still being investigated and no determination has been made,” he said.

Fire crews responded to the scene in Yadkinville — roughly an hour and 20 minutes from Charlotte — around 3:30 p.m., WXII reported. Less than 3,000 people live in the town, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Couch said the first personnel to arrive found the fire near the feed silos at the center of a chicken house measuring 40 feet by 400 feet. Heat from the fire reportedly caused the ventilation system to turn on.

“The activation caused the side curtains to drop and the exhaust fans to come on, causing the fire to rapidly spread through the house,” he said.

No other animals or people on the property — which is managed by Mountaire Farms — were injured, Couch confirmed.

Headquartered in Delaware, Mountaire Farms is the sixth largest chicken producer, according to its website. It partners with poultry growers in 30 counties in the Carolinas — 28 of which are in North Carolina.

A second fire in northern Virginia killed 24,000 chickens at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday, WHSV reported. Firefighters there contained the blaze, choosing to let it burn due to the age of the structure.

It was not immediately clear who managed that farm, which is in Fulks Run.