The Winnipeg Humane Society is calling for a change to fire regulations for barns, in light of Monday’s barn fire in the Steinbach area that killed hundreds of cows.
The Humane Society’s Brittany Semeniuk told 680 CJOB Monday’s blaze wasn’t the first of its kind.
“Just last May we had over 27,000 chickens perish in a barn fire,” she said.
“So we have reached out to the minister of agriculture and various other members of Parliament, and that’s something we really encourage the public to do as well.”
Semeniuk said fire regulations for agricultural buildings changed a few years ago to reflect their low human occupancy, and as a result, safety features like sprinkler systems and fire alarms weren’t required.
“They have removed a lot of the fire safety regulations that were previously needed,” she said.
“It’s just a recipe for disaster, and thousands of animals under one roof with no means of escape is a huge welfare concern for us.”
An estimated 800 head of cattle died in Monday’s fire at Pennwood Dairy Inc., northeast of Steinbach.
The fire commissioner is investigating the cause of the fire.
WATCH: Fire near Blumenort Man. destroys barn, kills chickens