The source of the fire that burnt down a barn at a poultry farm in Black Creek is still under investigation.
However, the fire chief of the Oyster River Fire Department, Niels Holbek, suspects it might be due to an electrical problem.
“I can’t say for sure,” said Holbek. “An investigator will be looking into it and will have a better idea of what started the fire. They’re the experts. We did preserve the façade of the barn because we suspect that to be where the fire started.”
The barn belongs to Paradise Meadows in Black Creek.
The fire started at around 6:30 on Tuesday morning. The Oyster River Fire Department was called in and upon arrival at the scene, the crews found a poultry barn fully involved. It contained offices and a flock of approximately 1000 laying hens.
Oyster River Fire Rescue, with the assistance of a crew from the Courtenay Fire Department, worked to gain control of the blaze but a second barn caught fire when a wall from the first barn collapsed into the adjacent barn.
With no access between the barns the fire then quickly spread to the roof. In less than an hour of intensive effort, the fire fighters succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading to a nearby processing facility, a small office and the owner’s home.
“It was a long job,” said Holbek. “We spent almost seven hours at the scene. We had to get an excavator in because it was a tin roof and when it fell down, the fire was still smoldering and active underneath it. In order to extinguish it we needed to pull the tin off and get it all put out.”
With assistance from the owners, fire fighters were also able to save most of the chickens from the second barn. However, Holbek estimated that 1,000 chickens were lost from the first barn. He thinks the damage caused by the fire was around $200,000. The fire held up and slowed traffic in the area for a couple hours, creating a long line up.
“The fire hydrant was located opposite the farm,” said Holbek. “You can’t drive over the big four inch lines so we put hose ramps on the northbound lane and the southbound lane was diverted down to Hamm Road. It was an unfortunate inconvenience to the community.”
