Firefighters from Centre Wellington, Guelph, Mapleton and Wellington North attended
By Farms.com
Multiple fire crews responded to a barn fire call Monday morning.
Firefighters from Centre Wellington, Guelph, Mapleton and Wellington North attended the fire at Swan Ridge Farms near County Road 7 between Second Line and Fourth Line near Elora.
The fire started around 11:00 a.m. Tom Mulvey, Centre Wellington’s fire chief, told Guelph Today on Monday.
Ontario’s ag community has experienced multiple barn fires early in 2022.
On Feb. 24, for example, about 100 cows died in a fire near Watford, Ont.
And at least two barn fires occurred in January.
One damaged a barn in Townsend, Ont.
It’s unclear what kind of animals were housed in that barn or if any losses occurred.
But the actions of an everyday Ontarian saved the situation from being much worse.
“Preliminary stages have indicated right now that a good Samaritan saw this fire happening, pulled into the residence and started beeping their own to alert the residents of the home,” Ontario Provincial Police Acting Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said, Global News reported.
Also in January, a fire broke out at a hog barn near Mitchell, Ont.
The producer lost 22 hogs in the fire and damage is estimated at $800,000.
The fire “had the potential to be twice as big,” West Perth Fire Prevention Officer James Marshall told CTV News London on Jan. 19. “We brought in the resources we needed to ensure we were out of there as quickly as possible that as minimal damage was done to the building.”
Dangers that can lead to barn fires aren’t always visible.
This article from Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) identifies solutions for dealing with electrical hazards.
WSPS also provided three steps to preventing barn fires.
The steps are identifying hazards, minimizing risks and preparing for emergencies.