Fire engulfs chicken barn, killing 14,000 chicks in Metro Vancouver

PORT COQUITLAM, B.C. – A commercial poultry barn in Metro Vancouver has been destroyed by a fire that has killed 14,000 chicks.

Port Coquitlam fire chief Nick Delmonico says the 90-metre wooden barn was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived minutes after someone driving by reported the fire Tuesday afternoon.

Delmonico says the owner informed firefighters on the scene that chicks were inside the barn, but the animals couldn’t be saved.

The cause of the fire isn’t suspicious, and the chief says it may have started in one of the heaters used to keep the chicks warm.

Delmonico says the farmer is believed to be insured for the loss of his barn.