50 cows killed in barn fire near Waterloo, Ont.

MAPLETON, Ont. — Provincial police say about 50 cows have died after a barn fire in north of Waterloo, Ont.

They say fire departments got to the barn near Mapleton, Ont., shortly before noon Monday, where they found the structure fully engulfed in flames.

Police say fire crews continued to battle the blaze into the afternoon and the nearby road remains closed.

READ MORE: Ontario stable rebuilds as owners, trainers grieve deaths of 43 horses in barn fire

It’s been a difficult year for barn fires involving animals in Ontario.

In early May, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said more than 300 tonnes of animals had died in 15 barn fires.

They say nearly 70 per cent of the tonnage came from one fire in London, Ont., where 2,100 pigs were killed — and 43 racehorses died after a blaze in early January in Puslinch, Ont.