This one is hard to tell. A fire swept through the Chicken Paradise farm. Our farmer has been rushing around nonstop, so a member of our staff made this video to show everyone what happened. The damage is big, so we’ve started a fundraiser for the repairs.
What the fire took
A few days have passed, and only now did it feel possible to film. The fire started near the back of the pigeon house, and the wind blew it straight across the farm. This whole area became, quite literally, a burnt field. On the day itself everything was gray and black, with smoke still rising here and there — even now you can smell it as you walk.
The coop roof is charred and partly melted. The posts are black charcoal. The netting around the chickens’ play area burned, and so did the bananas and everyone’s favorite papaya tree — “roast papaya” now. Our vehicle, parked where it always is, was caught in the flames; the headlights cracked from the heat and the back melted. The goat shed is completely gone, but by luck the goats had been rehomed to an acquaintance a while ago, so it was empty.
How everyone got out
Our farmer was there when it started. Smoke was everywhere and it was impossible to see what was happening. Knowing the fire began by the pigeon house, our farmer ran the black hose out as far as it would reach, turned the water on full, and opened the pigeon house door so the pigeons could escape. They all flew out — and came back after the fire.
With fire coming from the other side too, our farmer cut open the netting to make an exit for the chickens, then went down the narrow path and opened every door to the rooms where sick birds were being cared for, and opened the cats’ room as well. Only then did our farmer run — with fire behind and smoke ahead — up toward the cow pasture on the hill, and somehow got away. We are so grateful our farmer is alive.
Strangely, the inside of the chickens’ play area barely burned. The little ones’ room lost its back wall, and the big birds’ room was scorched on the outside, but the birds inside stayed safe and waited for the fire to pass. Right now, with the netting gone, some chickens wander to the neighbor’s land — but every night they come home to sleep.
Starting again
The bananas had to be cut down so they wouldn’t fall, but new shoots are already coming up. Plants are strong. Rebuilding from here is a huge job: the play area’s outer posts and netting, the roofs, the rooms.
In a short message at the end, our farmer says this is the biggest disaster since Chicken Paradise began — bigger than the storms and the bird flu scare. “The only comfort is that everyone is safe and well.” If you can, please support the recovery. Thank you for watching.