KELFORD – A noon blaze on Monday destroyed a Bertie County chicken house, but swift action by the four local fire units that responded to the call prevented further destruction.

According to Bertie County Emergency Services Manager Mitch Cooper the fire was discovered and called in between 10 and 10:30 a.m. Monday and the aluminum-constructed unit was completely engulfed in flames by the time fire fighters arrived shortly before 11 a.m.

Volunteer fire departments from Kelford, Roxobel, Aulander, and Millennium responded to the blaze.

According to Cooper the fire burned for about 20 minutes, consuming the metal frame building from front to rear of the unit.  As of Wednesday the origin of the blaze was unknown.

The chicken house was one of four units located at 521 Moore Road east of Kelford owned by Tom Moore of Moore’s Poultry Farm. The blaze did not spread to the other three chicken houses and was contained by the fire units within one hour.

Moore told WITN-TV that approximately 27,000 three-week old chicks were housed in the house, all of which were destroyed in the blaze.

Moore Farms is a supplier for nearby Perdue Farms, who owns the chickens.

Cooper says Moore has insurance on his personal property as well as the contents, but it was not known as of Wednesday if a claim had been filed.