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West Cumbrian pigeon lofts destroyed in early hours blaze
by Cumbria Crack
17/07/2026
Ken Benn and Danny Rodgers holding the two winners, with loft helpers Grace and Oliver in 2024.
A successful pigeon racing team in Cleator Moor have been left devastated after fire destroyed their lofts overnight.
Rodgers and Benn woke to the news that their birds had died in the blaze as their lofts burnt down.
Three fire engines from Whitehaven and Egremont had tackled the blaze at the allotments, off High Street, at around 4.20am today, Friday July 17.
Danny Rodgers flew in the Cleator Moor Central club with Ken, Wes and Mary Benn, although they haven’t been racing for 18 months.
Danny has been working in France in that time.
They had an outstanding set-up on the allotment off High Street, putting in many hours of time and effort to make it work as best they could.
The main racing lofts, with the birds inside, have been destroyed and although the nearby stock loft was untouched, some of the prized pigeons in there have died due to smoke inhalation.
Messages have poured in from the pigeon racing fraternity, offering to help as much as they could, and sympathising with the disaster that has occurred.
One fellow fancier told the Cumbria Crack: “Danny was a hugely popular guy, and would be the first to help anyone whatever the reason.
“He was known for organising the popular A ring race in Cleator Moor which attracted support from various parts of the country.
“But it’s other little things that people don’t hear about where he has helped fellow fanciers when they’ve encountered a problem.
“The other thing as well is that the lofts were something of a community hub where people, not just other fanciers, would go for a crack, a cup of tea and to exchange garden produce.”
