20 chickens dead after Red Clover Township barn fire

Twenty chickens inside a Carlton County barn are dead after a fire around noon Wednesday, according to Lt. Doug Rotta with the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office.

Fire officials received a call about a barn with black smoke coming from it on the 5200 block of Krogh Road in Red Clover Township.

The sheriff’s office said the fire was likely started by space heaters left in the barn and no suspicious activity is suspected. The homeowners were not present at the time of the fire and no other injuries were reported.

The Cromwell Wright Fire Department reported seeing heavy black smoke before arrival at the barn and reported the barn fully engulfed in flames upon arrival, according to Rotta.

There were 20 total chickens inside the barn and all of them died, the sheriff’s office said.

Cromwell Wright fire crews requested help from multiple fire departments, including the Carlton, Esko, and Kettle River Fire Departments, Rotta said. The Carlton County Highway Patrol sanded roadways for firefighters and Lake Country Power was called to shut off the barn’s power.

Rotta said firefighters were on scene for around two hours and the barn was reported as a total loss.