Cheshire farm fire claims lives of around 3,000 turkeys

A major farm fire in Cheshire has led to the loss of approximately 3,000 turkeys, following a blaze at a poultry unit near Nantwich.

Emergency services were called to the incident on Peach Lane shortly after 4pm on Sunday 19th April. Nine fire crews attended the scene, working to bring the fire under control.

The blaze caused significant damage to a turkey shed, with a large number of birds sadly lost in the fire.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that crews remained on site as operations scaled back, with investigations now underway to determine the cause of the incident.

In an update, the service said accessible areas of the building had been cleared, while thermal imaging equipment continued to monitor temperatures across the site. Firefighters also remained on standby as machinery was brought in to remove parts of the collapsed structure.

A spokesperson for Aviagen Turkeys confirmed the scale of the loss, stating that around 3,000 birds had died as a result of the fire.

They added: “We are grateful for the swift response of the fire service and are working closely with customers to implement our contingency measures, which are in place for situations like this.”

Photo: Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service