One injury reported and 60 chickens die in two separate fires
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IDAHO FALLS — Firefighters responded to two different fires within minutes of each other on St. Patrick’s Day that resulted in one person going to the hospital and 60 chickens dying.
The Idaho Falls Fire Department responded to the first call around 12:20 a.m. at Northwest Cosmetic Lab located at 200 Technology Drive. According to a news release, the reporting person told the dispatch center that there was a fire resulting from a chemical product blowing up.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, no active fire was inside the building. According to a news release, a supervisor indicated that the chemical product was flammable silicon fluid.
“An employee was reportedly mixing the flammable liquid into the product line when the fumes ignited, flashed, and injured the employee,” the news release said.
All employees evacuated the building. The 26-year-old male employee who was injured was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. A spokeswoman with the Idaho Falls Fire Department told EastIdahoNews.com that he is in critical condition.
There were no other reported injuries and there was no damage to the structure.
The second fire happened around 12:37 a.m. and came in as an outbuilding fire located at the 13000 block of North 75th East. The flames were reported to be 20 feet high and spreading to two other outbuildings and straw bales. The fire was rapidly growing.
According to a news release, the homeowner had attempted to extinguish the flames, but the hoses were frozen. Firefighters from the previous fire at Northwest Cosmetic Lab, quickly came to extinguish this fire that turned out to be a chicken coop that was approximately 30 feet from a house.
An estimated 60 chickens died. There were no reported injuries. The damage to the three outbuildings is estimated at $1,600.
The cause of the fire was a heat lamp located too close to combustibles.
RELATED: Early morning fires break out within minutes of each other in Idaho Falls
This is the second time this year that the Idaho Falls Fire Department responded to two unrelated fires within minutes of each other. Click here to learn about the previous fires.