By Chad Frey
Newton Kansan
Newton Fire crews responded Nov. 21 to the scene of a large chicken barn fire in the 1400 Block of N West Rd after an explosion was reported.
There was one person in the chicken barn at the time of the explosion who was not injured. At the time of the explosion and fire the barn was at or near capacity with 20,000 chickens.
The event created a large smoke plume that spread over north and western Newton.
As fire fighters were working the fire, the entire structure has collapsed.
According to the Animal Welfare Institute which has been tracking barn fires nationwide since 2013, the Nov. 21 barn fire was the most deadly in Kansas since November 2019 when a fire destroyed a major hen house in Rice County. Nov. 21’s fire was also the fifth-deadliest nationwide this year.
More than 8.29 million animals have perished in barn fires nationwide since 2013, according to the Animal Welfare Institute’s analysis of media reports.
“We are devastated to see yet another fire occur at an egg operation that appears to have killed tens of thousands of hens in such a horrific way, and we hope that a thorough investigation will be conducted to prevent similar situations in the future,” said Allie Granger, policy advisor for the Animal Welfare Institute’s Farmed Animal Program. “As tragic as this fire was, unfortunately, it is more common than people might expect. Hopefully, this incident demonstrates the importance of keeping fire safety and prevention top of mind for farmers.”
On Nov. 22 after Fire crews secured a propane tank, the crew transitioned to establishing a safe area around a propane storage tank, then allowed the remnants of the structure to burn throughout the evening and night.
At the time of this writing at 11 a.m. Nov. 22, the fire was still smoldering.
Newton Fire/EMS will investigate the cause of the fire and evaluate losses when the fire is out.
In addition to Newton Fire/EMS, water tenders from surrounding communities responded to the fire, providing water supply for firefighting operations.
