PETA Plans Billboard To Memorialize Chickens, Shame Meat Eaters After Large Stanislaus County Barn Fire

STANISLAUS COUNTY (CBS13) — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says they will be putting up a billboard in remembrance of the thousands of chickens who died in a barn fire last week and to shame meat-eaters.

Scene of the fire on Thursday. (Credit: Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department)

The fire happened early Thursday afternoon at a large chicken barn near on Barnhart Road, near Ceres and Keyes.

A thick plume of smoke filled the sky above the barn during the fire. It's unclear exactly how much damage was done in the fire, but it took the help of several agencies from around the area to put out the flames.

On Monday, PETA announced their plan to put up a billboard in the area that places the blame of the fire on people who haven't "gone vegan."

According to PETA, the billboard will have the lettering "In memory of the chickens killed nearby in a fire. If everyone were vegan, it wouldn't have happened."

To be clear, the billboard is a statement in line with PETA's advocacy for animals and not the official cause as found by investigators. No determination of the cause of the fire has been released by authorities at this point.

The billboard PETA says it will be putting up nearby. (Credit: PETA)

No details about exactly where the billboard will be placed have been released. The barn where the fire happened is several miles off Highway 99.