Fire sweeps through poultry barn on New York farm, killing 50,000 chickens; cause is unclear

Authorities say about 50,000 chickens have been killed in a fire that swept through a barn at a New York poultry farm near the Canadian border.

Fire department officials in the Clinton County town of Chazy say the blaze was reported late Thursday morning in a barn at Giroux's Poultry Farm.

The flames spread quickly through the two-story structure, which had been built last summer. The farm's owners say the 50,000 chickens killed in the fire were moved into the barn in January.

Dozens of firefighters from 18 departments, including some from neighboring Vermont and Quebec, spent several hours at the scene before the blaze was extinguished. The barn was destroyed, but adjacent structures weren't damaged.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.