Bonfire kills Brighton school’s chickens

Seven chickens kept at a Brighton primary school have died after a bonfire got out of control.

The bonfire in Chalkland Rise, Woodingdean, spread to a fence after some dry grass caught light just yards from the Rudyard Kipling Primary School boundary.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service sent firefighters from Roedean to tackle the blaze at about 10.30pm on Saturday (18 August).

The school’s caretaker and the RSPCA also arrived at the scene at about the same time.

A fire crew remained on site for nearly two hours after hosing out the fire and using a thermal imaging camera to try to find the missing chickens.

Two were saved and another two could not be traced.

Fire chiefs urged people to monitor bonfires closely and to ensure that they were fully extinguished.

A spokesman said that bonfires should not be left unsupervised even if they appear to be dying out.