Quick action by firefighters saved thousands of young chicks that were trapped in a burning chicken house in Banks County.
The fire broke out around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, inside a 500-foot structure housing 20,000 two-week-old chicks.
Firefighters arrived at the scene to find heavy smoke coming from the chicken house. They quickly contained the fire to the roof area near the point of origin, saving most of the young birds.
“We were able to push them all back to the back and front. We got the smoke out quickly, and they appeared to be fine,” says Banks County Fire Chief Steve Nichols.
The structure sustained moderate damage. The company that owned the chicken house helped relocate the chicks to other houses on the property. Fire personnel remained on the scene for over four hours.
It appears a gas heating unit may have ignited the fire. Firefighters could not rule out the heater as the cause and listed the fire as an accident.
