A heat lamp that sparked a fire in a small wooden shelter and corral in Whetstone killed chickens, ducks and two goats Tuesday.
Whetstone Fire District was dispatched at 11:20 a.m. to the 70 block of Hamel Road, a rental property owned by Scott and Lisa Graves.
While firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the structure and corral where the animals were housed, they were unable to save the animals.
“This fire was just an unfortunate accident,” Whetstone Fire Chief Peter Bidon said. “It was caused by a responsible pet owner trying to keep animals warm, but the heat lamp was placed too close to flammable materials.” Two chicks that managed to escape were swooped up by Lisa Graves who inspected them for injuries and placed them into a container.