Firefighters were called out to tackle a fire in a poultry shed containing more than 16,000 chickens on Tuesday morning.
The building in Middleton, Oswestry, Shropshire is larger than a football pitch. It caught fire shortly before 8am and the blaze was attended by six fire engines, 40 firefighters and five officers, including equipment and personnel from Wrexham and Chirk in Wales. They needed a water bowser and an aerial ladder platform to extinguish the fire in under two hours.
It is believed that most of the chickens were rescued but it is not yet clear exactly how many died. Initial investigations suggest a conveyor belt on the roof caught alight.
The fire crews had to isolate the power to the shed and work out the best way to remove the chickens before tackling the blaze.
According to BBC Radio Shropshire reporter Sam Fleet the roof of the shed had sagged and melted due to the heat coming from the fire.
Copyright Press Association 2013