OLDS - A fire in a backyard chicken coop yesterday morning (Jan. 8) killed two chickens while the rest of the flock was saved and the occupants of the adjacent residence were uninjured.
Officials credit a neighbour of a home at 182 Balsam Crescent with calling 911 when they did.
“The fire was reported by a neighbour who was preparing for out-of-town travel and smelled smoke and investigated the area. Without that action, this fire may have gone unnoticed until it spread to the home with occupants sleeping inside,” states a press release issued by the Town of Olds.
Fourteen firefighters were at the residential property for about an hour after being dispatched to a residential structure fire on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 2:30 a.m.
“The reported fire in the backyard area was determined to be a chicken coop attached to the deck of the residential property. Smoke and flames were visible upon arrival of fire personnel,” states the release.
“The fire was quickly knocked down and held with a fire extinguisher utilized by a responding chief officer, and completely extinguished in approximately 16 minutes from the time of call.”
Damage was reportedly limited to the coop and deck area only.
“The occupants were able to resume use of their home within the hour and alternative housing was found for the chickens that were displaced. Unfortunately, two chickens perished because of the fire,” states the release.
The cause of this fire is considered accidental in nature, the release states, and no damage estimates have been made as of yet.
"The Olds Fire Department would like to thank the neighbour who investigated and made the 911 call as the outcome would have been significantly different if action had not been taken when it was."
