Fire Kills Thousands of Chickens in Canton

Photo credits: Tim Cavender/Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services

Tens of thousands of chickens perished in a fire Monday morning just north of Canton.

Crews with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services and the Canton Fire Department responded to a structure fire call around 9:45 a.m. Feb. 9 at 826 Sam Nelson Road.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to see “heavy flames and smoke coming from a chicken house and began a defensive attack” on the blaze, said Cherokee County Fire and Emergency spokesperson Tim Cavender.

The 400-foot long structure contained roughly 19,000 chickens at the time of the fire. The structure and the majority of the chickens were a complete loss, Cavender added.

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by about 10:30 a.m. No injuries were reported and Sam Nelson Road was blocked until the clean-up operation was complete. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.