Maine Chicken Barn Fire Kills 72,000 Birds

Maine fire officials say they’ll probably never know the cause of a fire that killed 72,000 chickens in a barn in Belfast.

The fire early Thursday morning destroyed a three-story, 500-foot poultry barn in the midcoast town.

Owner Merle Grass told the Bangor Daily News he probably won’t rebuild because the cost would be much higher than his insurance coverage. He said he has two other chicken barns with a total of 142,000 birds.

Fire Chief Jim Richards said the barn was completely engulfed when firefighters arrived and that it will be impossible to pinpoint the cause.