BOZRAH, CT - At 1:08 P.M. on Saturday, January 28th, the Bozrah, Yantic and Colchester Fire Departments, with tankers from Gardner Lake, Salem and Lebanon, as well as the Mohegan Tribal and Taftville FASTs and Scotland’s Hose Tender, were dispatched to Hillendale Farms at 17 Schwartz Road for a chicken coop fire. Quinebaug Valley Emergency Communications said they were taking multiple calls for a large structure well involved.

Engine 126 arrived at 1:17 P.M. with a 100’ by 400’ chicken coop well involved and transmitted the second-alarm. Engine 126 used their deck gun and set up a blitz fire on the 'Bravo' side for exposure protection. Tanker 126 arrived next and nursed their engine. Engine 33 split their crew in half to set up the drop site for water supply and sent manpower forward to stretch lines. A one-and-three-quarter inch front bumper line was stretched to the 'Alpha' side.

Ladder 128 positioned in the front and set up for ladder pipe operations. A two-and-a-half inch crosslay was stretched from Ladder 128 into the exposure on the 'Delta' side. Hose Tender 6 reverse laid from Ladder 128 to Engine 33. Ladder 106 set up in the rear and was fed by Engine 328. Engine 31 established a draft from the Yantic River to fill the tankers. Engine 128 also established a draft for the secondary water supply.

The City of Norwich Fire Department was requested as the third FAST while East Great Plain Ladder 5 was requested for another ladder pipe. Additional tankers were called from Franklin, Oakdale, Chesterfield, Baltic, Lisbon, Lebanon, Laurel Hill, Griswold and Preston.

Car 126 had command while Car 2 had operations and Car 3 had water supply. Unfortunately, over 100,000 chickens perished in the blaze and the Bozrah Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.