CHESTERVILLE – A small barn on Zion Hill Road burned Wednesday afternoon, killing 40 chickens.

Just as her daughter was getting off the school bus, Angela Heath drove into her driveway to see small flames and smoke coming from the structure, which is about 50 feet from her home, she said.

“Within five minutes the barn was totally engulfed,” she said. “I just went in to call 911, and it happened that quickly.”

Neighbors also called, she said.

Fire Chief David Archer said a neighbor made the initial call around 2:45 p.m. The home of Angela and Peter Heath is at 76 Zion Hill Road, he said.

A heat lamp used for the chickens is believed to have caused the fire, Archer said Wednesday night. The chickens died from the heat, he added. He estimated damage at $500 to $1,000 because the structure was made of older materials.

When the first Chesterville truck arrived with five men, the building was already fully engulfed, he said.

The 15-year-old, makeshift structure was home to the chickens and a steer named Patches, which was grazing in the pasture beside the barn during the fire. The steer would have also been kept in there once the weather got colder, Heath added.

“We raise our own meat,” she said, explaining how the chickens were almost ready to slaughter and she had just taken another steer to slaughter.

During the fire, Heath speculated that hay or a heat lamp used for the chickens may have been the cause.

Six round bales of hay sitting around the barn were destroyed but, she said, she had not picked up the rest of the hay order they had purchased.

Christmas decorations and some other personal items were also stored on one side of the barn, she said, but added that she was thankful it was not the house.

Fire departments from Farmington, Wilton and New Sharon responded to aid the Chesterville Fire Department.