Hundreds of farm animals are dead following a massive barn fire near Mount Forest, Ont., on Tuesday afternoon.
Wellington North Fire Department said 250 goats, two horses and over 20 rabbits died in the blaze that erupted on Sideroad 2, southeast of Mount Forest.
Chief David Guilbault said despite no injuries to any humans, the loss of life devastating.
“It is really sad,” he said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “Many of our firefighters are farmers, and have horses, goats and cows.”
Damage estimates are pegged at around $1.5 million.
The barn was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived on scene just before 2 p.m. and heavy winds caused havoc.
BELOW: Officials investigating suspicious barn fire near Peterburough
“We probably had gusts up to 80 km/h,” Guilbault said. “We had an aerial ladder up and it was blowing the ladder and the water coming out of it as well.”
- Calgary water use climbs above city threshold for 1st time since restrictions imposed
- Potential light show at Canada’s largest cemetery causes controversy
- Gas, food and travel: How the war in Iran is driving up costs in B.C.
- Manitoba’s 1st supervised drug consumption site may not open for months: Kinew
He added that crews managed to protect a nearby house from any damage.
Get daily National news
The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal has been notified, but Guilbault said they will not be attending the scene.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.