Community rallies to help southern Alberta farmer after fire destroys winter feed

A farm west of Lethbridge is picking up the pieces after fire tore through the property last week.

It was the last thing Laurry Orr expected to see as he pulled into his driveway Tuesday night.

“As I got close to the lane, I could see that the fire was already in the caraganas and it had actually jumped over to the straw,” Orr said.

As approximately 620 round hay bales went up in flames, his wife was inside making dinner and unaware of what was happening.

“The power went out and I thought that was really annoying and strange,” Joce Orr said. “Ten minutes later, Laurry burst through the door and said: ‘Call 911!'”

Minutes later, neighbours and family rushed to help, moving cattle and doing what they could to stop the blaze.

“I made a run for the tractor because I wanted to get the disc hooked up,” Laurry said. “I knew if I could get out in front of it, I could do some discing and I could maybe stop it from getting over to Moon River.”

But as the fire pushed towards the hamlet, residents were evacuated. By this time, other farmers were also helping fight the fire, preventing it from spreading further south.

“When I drove down the next day, you could see exactly where I went with the disc and there was no fire on the other side of that disc line,” Laurry said.

One home in Moon River was damaged while others lost fencing and sheds.

For the Orrs, the fire was devastating, destroying all their winter hay along with grain, straw and some equipment.

“You wake up the next day and start walking around and seeing the realities of this and going, ‘Wow. We have no feed and what does that mean for us?'” Joce said.

Faced with the possibility of having to sell their cattle, a GoFundMe account has been set up, raising more than $12,000 in a matter of days.

“It’s hard to express what you feel because all of a sudden people care — they always care but it’s an opportunity when they show how much they care and it’s really appreciated,” Laurry said.

With the community behind them, the Orrs say the only thing they can do now is clean up and move forward.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.