165,000 chickens dead after barns catch fire in Abbotsford, B.C.

Free range chickens are seen in Abbotsford, B.C. Monday, March 28, 2011. (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press)

ABBOTSFORD — The city of Abbotsford, B.C., says about 165,000 chickens were killed after multiple barns caught on fire.

The city says in an email the fire happened at about 4 p.m. Thursday in a rural area south of Abbotsford on Gladwin Road.

Abbotsford Fire Rescue Services deployed 13 crews to the scene, and firefighters had to bring in excavators to help put out the fire.

The city says one firefighter had to be hospitalized due to heat exhaustion, and Gladwin Road was closed for several hours.

Abbotsford South legislator Bruce Banman says in a social media post that three barns were destroyed.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.