Fire breaks out in 16,000-bird shed

A fire has ripped through a poultry shed containing 16,000 birds in Middleton, near Oswestry, Shropshire – though it is understood almost all of the birds were removed alive.

Six fire engines and 45 firefighters attended the scene following an emergency call just before 8am on Tuesday 17 December.

A spokesman for Shropshire fire and rescue service said: “It was decided by the fire control operator to treat the incident as a barn fire and send the pre-determined attendance for this type of incident. A further call once all the appliances were en-route indicated the size of the ‘shed’ as the caller exclaimed: ‘it’s the same size as a football pitch’.”

Neil Griffiths, who managed the operation, said it appeared the fire had begun on a ground-level conveyor belt, and spread up onto the roof.

The service had to draft fire engines in from nearby Chirk and Wrexham to help tackle the blaze. Once the building was secure, catchers were sent in to collect the chickens.

According to a report, an aerial ladder platform was used to “slowly” dismantle the roof, and the electricity supply was isolated. Water was pumped from a nearby pond to extinguish flames.

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