Massive Fire Destroys Poultry Farm in Laitila, Killing 20,000 Chickens
A large fire at a poultry farm in Laitila on Monday afternoon resulted in the deaths of approximately 20,000 chickens. The blaze destroyed a 4,000-square-meter section of the farm, which is operated by Munax Oy, a company specializing in egg production.
The Southwest Finland Rescue Department received an emergency call about the fire shortly before 2:30 p.m. (MTV Uutiset). When firefighters arrived, the fire had already engulfed a significant portion of the building. Over 30 rescue units were deployed to contain the blaze, successfully preventing it from spreading to nearby structures or the surrounding area (MTV Uutiset).
Duty chief Olli Högmander of the Southwest Finland Rescue Department confirmed that while people were present at the site, none were in immediate danger. By late afternoon, the fire was under control, though post-extinguishing and clearance operations continued. Högmander stated that crews were working to remove collapsed roof sheets from the damaged section (Helsingin Sanomat).
The poultry farm housed around 100,000 chickens in total, with the fire claiming roughly one-fifth of the flock (Helsingin Sanomat). Matti Nyfors, CEO of Munax Oy, confirmed to Ilta-Sanomat that the facility was operated by one of the company’s contract manufacturers (Helsingin Sanomat).
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities are conducting an investigation. Firefighting and clearance efforts are expected to continue for several more hours (MTV Uutiset).
