Firefighters save 12 chicks - and building

By COURTNEY LAMDIN | Staff Writer
courtney@miltonindependent.com

Apparently firemen will save not only cats from trees but also baby chicks from a heat lamp on fire.

That’s what Milton firefighters did Wednesday, May 17, at the Milton Family Community Center when the cardboard box holding 12 fuzzy chicklets started
smoking, setting off the building’s central alarm around 10:45 p.m.

Firefighters arrived to the building on Villemaire Lane and initially just saw smoke. As they made their way around the building, however, they saw a flame erupt and broke a window lock to gain entry, Fire Chief Don Turner said.

Fire crews doused the flame with a fire extinguisher. The only other damage was a few chairs that melted; the heat lamp was clamped to them, Turner said.

“The cardboard box was a total loss, but the chicks were fine,” said Charlotte Parot, MFCC’s family services coordinator.

The center gets the eggs from University of Vermont Extension and hatches them for their preschool classes, Parot said.

Some of the chicks were only two days old the night of the fire, she said. Parot sheltered the chicks that night in her spare bedroom with a heating pad. For anyone wondering if the chicks were all right, Parot said, “I counseled them all before bedtime.”

Turner said the center’s alarm likely saved the building.

“It’s a great example of early detection,” Turner said. “It would not have taken long.”

He cautioned people to keep portable heating devices away from flammable
objects and to not leave them unattended for long periods.

Parot thanked the Fire Department for its quick response and care for both the building and the chicks.

“We had all those firemen in full gear as I walked out the crate of chicks, and they were all looking in, ooo-ing and aah-ing and were all concerned that the chicks were okay,” Parot said, laughing.

It’s not every day the Fire Department can save 12 lives.

“We took care of them,” Turner said.