About 23,500 young chickens were killed in a barn fire at a poultry farm in North Lancaster, Ont., on Saturday.

They were all just three days old, said John Jamieson, an employee at Bourdon Feed & Grain on Concession Road 2.

The company has four locations in Ontario: North Lancaster, Maxville, St. Isidore and Fournier.

The barn caught fire at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. It was three storeys high, and it collapsed about 20 minutes after the fire started, Jamieson said.

People were working at the farm when the fire broke out, according to co-owner Nathalie Grenier, but everyone managed to get out safely.

The investigation into the cause of the fire continues.