Barn destroyed by fire; 50 cattle saved
Deputy chief: 'homeowner called 911 and was able to remove the cattle prior to us arriving'
CENTRE WELLINGTON – Fifty cows inside were saved but a 150-year-old bank barn at 7262 Middlebrook Rd. was a total loss after fire ravaged the site on Sunday afternoon.
Elora and Fergus stations responded to a fire call around 2:15pm on Jan. 25 to find the barn engulfed in flames.
“The homeowner called 911 and was able to remove the cattle prior to us arriving,” said deputy chief Jonathan Karn.
“It went up very fast.”
Karn said fire prevention officers believe the cause was electrical and it was the product in two silos – corn in one and silage in the other – that ignited first. The barn was quick to follow.
He noted the estimated damage, including some farm equipment, is $1.2 million.
Karn said firefighters faced challenging conditions as the day was extremely cold, windy and snowy.
“They had to work to maintain equipment and stop it from freezing,” he said.
“It gets icy, hose lines freeze, equipment freezes – it’s not ideal.”
A warming centre was set up on the scene for firefighters, “and we had to cycle firefighters through it to make sure everyone was okay,” he added.
Mapleton, Guelph and Maryhill sent tanker support, for a total of five tankers on scene. The fire was finally extinguished, and officials cleared the scene at around 9pm.
Karn said the property owners – longtime residents of Centre Wellington – managed to find friends and neighbours to take the cows.
“Yesterday they were moving the cows to different locations. By the end of the day, they were all removed,” Karn said on Tuesday.
There was no damage to the home or a secondary pig barn on the property and no injuries to firefighters.
Karn said the two silos attached to the barn will likely have to be demolished as they are now structurally unsound.
