A FAULTY paraffin heater is believed to have caused a blaze which killed more than 40,000 chickens this week.

Fire swept through the building, which measured 80 metres by 25 metres, around 10pm on Tuesday at the Beckford Poultry Farm in Ashton Road.

Two appliances from Evesham along with a water tender, together with two appliances from Tewkesbury were at the scene for more than four hours as the blaze threatened to spread to adjoining buildings and silos, including those containing paraffin.

Crew manager Adrian Mewhew from Evesham said it was believed the fire started after a worker went into the chicken shed and smelled paraffin fumes.

“He noticed that the fan which was used to spread the heat evenly around the building was operating but not lit. When he switched it on the fumes ignited and the fire started.”

Relief crews from Broadway and Upton went to the scene in the early hours of the morning to help with the damping down.

“We could see the flames as we drove down the road and there was no way to save the building,” said crew manager Mayhew.

“Our priority was to prevent it spreading and causing even more damage.