Large fire in Limburg chicken farming, number of stable fires remains high

In Heibloem in Limburg, a major fire was created in a chicken farm on Friday night. According to ANP news agency, based on the safety region, 50,000 chickens were killed, which is very much compared to stable fires in earlier years. According to NOS Is it about the poultry farm of farmer John from the television program Farmer is looking for Woman.

The fire initially broke out in a shed with manure, but spread to a stable next to it in which more than 200,000 chickens were held. Both sheds of the farm have been lost. Furthermore, particles of solar panels ended up in the meadows south of Heibloem, which can cause damage to animals there.

Lots of stable fires

The number of stable fires in the Netherlands remains high. No figures are known before 2025, but in 2024 there were 43 fires, killing 62,000 animals. A year earlier there were just as many fires, although there were fewer animal victims (37,000) at the time. In 2022 even 130,000 animals died through stable fire.

By Association of InsurersThat the numbers keep track of problems with electrical installations in one fifth of the stable fires. Just as often, stable fires are caused by work in the stable. It is especially common (40 percent) that the cause cannot be precisely traced.

The covenant argues for more safety. For example, the legally required electricity and safety inspections, which were part of the approach to stable fires from 2021, must come quickly according to the organization. Out research The Economic Institute for Construction (at the end of 2018) showed that stable fires can largely be prevented due to safety measures. Electric inspections, for example, can reduce the chance of a stable fire by 35 percent, and lightning rods even by a maximum of 70 percent. In one Parlor From April this year, the then Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma announced that electric inspections are still not mandatory by law, but that investigation will be carried out into its feasibility.

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