Lewiston chicken farm catches fire Tuesday evening killing 120,000 chickens; 1 building collapses

A chicken barn at Oakdell Egg Farms in Lewiston caught fire Tuesday afternoon and eventually collapsed. The 20,000 square foot building housed around 120,000 chickens, all of which were lost to the fire.

No people were inside the building at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. A cause is not known at this time.

According to Cache County Fire Marshal Jason Winn, the fire started just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Fire departments around the county and from Franklin County, Idaho were called in. When firefighters arrived on scene at 2500 South and 1600 West in Lewiston, the barn structure was still standing but flames were showing. Eventually, the structure collapsed.

“When Lewiston’s engine arrived on scene, there was fire coming through the roof of the barn,” Winn said. “That’s when they called for a second, third and fourth alarm.”

Winn said that in total, roughly 60 firefighters were on scene to fight the fire.

According to Winn, a lack of sufficient water supply caused difficulties in the extinguishing effort.

“There’s one hydrant there that was initially hooked, and then we had to get more water to the back half of the structure, so that’s when we had to put the tender task force together so they can bring water in.”