Baby Chicks Perish In Overnight Semi Trailer Fire

February 23, 2013

A semi-trailer loaded with baby chicks burned overnight at the Florida Welcome Center on I-10.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the semi truck and trailer were parked in the Welcome Center about 12:30 when the fire broke out in the trailer. The driver, who had been asleep, was able to separate the cab from the trailer to prevent the fire from spreading.

The driver, 43-year old Gromico Mendez Womack of Mendenhall, MS, was not injured. An unknown number of chicks perished in the blaze.

Pictured: An unknown number of chicks perished in this fire at the Florida Welcome Center on I-10 early Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

17 Responses to “Baby Chicks Perish In Overnight Semi Trailer Fire”

  1. 429SCJ on February 24th, 2013 5:43 pm

    Amen Country Girl.

  2. David Huie Green on February 24th, 2013 3:12 pm

    terrible, just terrible. Think I’ll go eat a chicken sandwich and mourn.

  3. Max on February 23rd, 2013 6:59 pm

    Kathy….. Are you kidding me? Those trucks range From 70-120k depending on the price of the truck…. I would be saving my truck and my livelyhood first…. if trucker has no truck, trucker has no livelyhood. I’m sure he would of attempted to save the chicks had there been any possibility too after he removed his livelyhood from being destroyed.

  4. Arlen Mininger on February 23rd, 2013 6:02 pm

    By my experience around 100,000 maybe 120,000. Not sure why driver was sleeping. Here in north Alabama we don’t leave them on trucks any longer than necessary. Straight from hatchery to farm. If everything is ok it won’t hurt the chicks but as you can see too many things can go wrong.

  5. Earl in bratt on February 23rd, 2013 4:04 pm

    MMM nuggets!

  6. BentStraight on February 23rd, 2013 3:04 pm

    Terrible tragedy!

  7. marcus on February 23rd, 2013 2:52 pm

    Most or all died from smoke inhallation first, which is far less painful then burning alive. Chicks/chickens do not have pain receptors in their lungs, nor do they have many developed as a chick in general so the suffering was not all entirely horrible.

  8. kathy on February 23rd, 2013 1:53 pm

    That is so sad , I love all animals and to think they died the way they did breaks my heart. why didn the truck driver save some Baby chicks instead of the thruck

  9. deBugger on February 23rd, 2013 10:50 am

    A case of Spontaneous Chicken Combustion?

  10. Countrygirl on February 23rd, 2013 10:41 am

    This is too sad. Often I read about animal abuse and human ignorance and all the neglect of God’s creatures. What is wrong with people these days.

  11. Henry Coe on February 23rd, 2013 9:24 am

    That sure was a fowl tragedy.

  12. worried on February 23rd, 2013 9:15 am

    Poor chicks! Bet the county coms. are happy, now they can worry about getting more money for more dumb things that don’t need done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  13. xpeecee on February 23rd, 2013 8:56 am

    Probably loaded with assault roosters! They will emerge in the middle of the night, near our Commissioner’s home and crow in unison. Crow and move! Crow and move!

  14. cygie on February 23rd, 2013 8:39 am

    not the type of fried chicken I was hoping for!

  15. poplardell on February 23rd, 2013 8:22 am

    Sad about the chicks.

    However, maybe the doors were opened before all perished and some baby ROOSTERS escaped into the county.

  16. Richard head on February 23rd, 2013 7:53 am

    County ordinance enforcement at work? Must have been some roosters in there

  17. West End Girl on February 23rd, 2013 5:55 am

    Glad that no people were hurt, but sad about the chicks!