Fire destroys chicken houses near Sallisaw

<br>BRENT, Okla. (AP) _ Investigators were trying to determine Monday what caused a fire that destroyed two chicken houses and killed about 47,000 birds owned by OK Foods. <br><br>The fire Sunday afternoon

Monday, January 14th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BRENT, Okla. (AP) _ Investigators were trying to determine Monday what caused a fire that destroyed two chicken houses and killed about 47,000 birds owned by OK Foods.

The fire Sunday afternoon south of Sallisaw destroyed two 40-by-500-foot chicken houses that each held 24,000 chickens. About 1,000 birds survived the fire, but were suffering smoke inhalation and likely would be destroyed, officials said.

The fire burned about an acre of grass around the chicken houses and damaged a fence, said Brent Fire Chief Darrell Vix.

The chickens were worth about $75,000 and the houses were valued about $125,000 apiece, Vix said.

The fire came within about a foot of a home where Sharlette Sainer's 4-year-old son and husband were sleeping.

``I'm just thankful it didn't catch the house with them in it,'' she said. ``Things can be replaced. People can't.''