TIRUPATTUR: Around 8000 chickens were charred to death in two fire accidents at poultry farms on Wednesday located in Arangaldurgam village near Ambur and Mallakuppam village near Natrampalli in Tirupattur district in separate incidents.
On Monday at around 9 pm, a blaze erupted due to a sudden electric spark near the EB meter wire. It quickly engulfed the chickens in the farm of area 20×300 feet located at the Arangaldurgam village. The farm's structure covered with dried coconut leaves and sheets facilitated the rapid spread of fire, leading to huge losses. The neighbours informed the fire department and the blaze was extinguished.
Duraimurugan(45), son of Periya Thambi from Suttagunda near Ambur taluk is the owner of the farm. It cost him nearly 30 lakh to build the two poultry sheds housing 10,000 chickens, out of which 5000 have been charred in the accident. While speaking to TNIE he said, "Despite recognising the importance of insurance, financial constraints made me postpone acquiring it. But the extent of this loss is unexpected and shocking."
Another incident occurred around 4 pm at Mallakuppam village where a poultry farm spanning an area of 22x250 feet suddenly caught on fire. The cause of the incident remains unknown. Subsequently, officials from the Natrampalli Fire and Rescue services arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire.
The owner of the farm, Selvaraj said, "Many poultry farm owners are not aware of insurance. In this fire accident, almost 3000 chickens perished. It would be beneficial if the government could provide some support."