UPDATE: DE Fire Marshals Investigating Chicken House Fire in Harrington

Image Courtesy of Harrington Fire Company, Inc.

UPDATE: The Office of the Delaware State Fire Marshal has launched an investigation into Wednesday’s poultry farm fire in Harrington.

In total, two chicken houses and another structure were lost in the fire. Officials say both of the chicken houses were full of birds at the time, and losses are estimated at over one million dollars.

Investigators responded to the scene to investigate the origin and cause of the fire. At this time, the investigation is ongoing.

HARRINGTON, Del. – Nineteen fire companies assisted in responding to a large structure fire involving multiple chicken houses on Wednesday afternoon.

At 3:15 p.m. on Apr. 15, the Harrington Fire Company, Inc. (HFCI) and neighboring fire departments were alerted to a commercial structure fire in the unit block of Hayfield Road. Other initial responding units included Felton, Frederica, and Greensboro fire companies. Units arrived on scene to find two 60’ x 500’ chicken houses involved, with extension into a storage building and wooded area. Flames were also exposed to multiple large above ground propane tanks.

Image Courtesy of Ridgely Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.

Crews quickly deployed multiple hose lines and began extinguishment, working for approximately an hour to bring the fire under control. Firefighters remained on scene for several hours to overhaul the buildings and extinguish any hot spots. All units cleared the scene by 8:30 p.m.

HFCI extends their thanks to their auxiliary members, as well as citizens and neighbors who provided refreshments at the scene for responders.

This article was originally published on Apr. 16 at 12:05 p.m.