Firefighters saved 20 chickens from a fire on Feb. 21 at a vacant home in the 9100 block of Ridge Road in Dittmer. The homeowners lived behind the home in an RV and were just using the home for their chickens, said Chief Mick Fischer of the Cedar Hill Fire Protection District.
He said the homeowners had plans to tear down the home and build a new one.
Fischer said crews were dispatched to the fire at 1:25 a.m. and arrived on the scene at 1:33 a.m.
He said the cause of the fire, which started in the attic, was undetermined but was considered accidental.
The fire was under control by 2:25 a.m. and crews stayed on the scene until 4:01 a.m., Fischer said.
He said it was cold that night and Jefferson County Highway Department crews salted the road afterward due to a build up of ice from water used to extinguish the blaze.
Fischer said the High Ridge, Hillsboro and St. Clair fire protection districts, the Big River Ambulance District and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office helped with the call.
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