More than 11,000 chickens were charred to death in a fire at a poultry farm in Manachanallur village near Katpadi in Vellore on Tuesday.

The police said the poultry farm was set up by E. Surendran, 48, a few years ago in his paddy field sprawling four acres. The farm, which comprises three large tin sheet-roofed sheds, houses a total of over 11,000 chickens. Fire was reported in one of the sheds when a few residents near the shed saw smoke coming from the electrical board in the shed around 2 a.m.

Before residents could alert neighbours for help, the fire engulfed the entire shed, which is around 600 sq.ft each, within a few minutes. On being informed, fire fighters from Gudiyatham and Katpadi rushed to the spot and put out the fire.

The police said that in the incident, 93 bags of feed for chickens were also destroyed. Each bag, on an average, weighs around 50 kg. A case was registered by K.V. Kuppam police. Initial inquiry revealed that an electrical short circuit might have been the reason for the fire. A probe is under way.