Two chicken houses near Puckett, Miss. were destroyed in an overnight fire on Tuesday, March 17. About 24,000 birds were in the houses, and The Clarion-Ledger reports that about 22,000 birds were killed.

The blaze started around 3:45 a.m. at the farm on Warren Hill Road. According to Brian Grantham with the Rankin County Emergency Management, the fire spread quickly from one house to the second because the ventilation system started in response to the heat, WJTV reported.

The chickens were owned by Koch Foods. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

Source: The Clarion-Ledger