22,000 chickens die in Federalsburg fire

About 22,000 chickens were roasted on the Eastern Shore yesterday afternoon, but it was no banquet.

The chickens died in a fire that swept through a 400-foot-long chicken house in Federalsburg in Caroline County. The fire began at 5:30 p.m. and was spotted by a passer-by who notified chicken farmer James Gargani of the flames.

Firefighters fought the blaze for 90 minutes before dousing it. The cause of the fire is still unknown, said Chuck Planner, chief of the Federalsburg Volunteer Fire Co.

Chief Planner said that only a few chickens survived the smoke and flames in the single-story structure.