LONDON — A chicken broiler barn went up in flames south of London on the evening of Sept. 22, in a loss that local media reported at $750,000.
No animals were destroyed as the barn was between bird batches, the owner told Farmers Forum. The broilers grow up “for five-and-a-half weeks and then they’re out for two weeks,” Mark Rimmelzwaan explained.
He couldn’t vouch for the reported $750,000 loss figure, noting “I’m not sure who came out with that number.” It’s “hard to say” if the loss might be higher. “Everything’s so expensive now.”
London’s fire department arrived at the Westminister Drive scene around 10 p.m., when the structure was already fully engulfed and collapsing. Firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to outbuildings on the farm property.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined and the investigation has closed.