Fires took place in Norwood and Wellesley Township
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Fires broke out at two Ontario farms this week, resulting in extensive damage and livestock loss.
Wellesley Township firefighters responded just after 7am Tuesday to Manassa B. Martin’s farm in St. Clements to find a barn fully engulfed in flames.
Barn fire in St. Clements
Photo: Mathew McCarthy
Upon arrival, firefighters saw the family using a garden hose to spray a shop building, protecting it from any spreading flames.
One horse and seven cattle were lost in the blaze, and damages are estimated at $400,000.
In some cases, the fire department may let the barn burn itself out, but with the conditions being hot and dry they didn’t want to risk the fire spreading.
“We’re going to make sure the fire’s out before we leave,” acting fire chief Steve Martin told the Waterloo Region Record. He said sparks in machinery used to load straw may have caused the fire.
Another fire occurred at a chicken farm in Norwood, Ontario, just before 5:30pm on Monday, August 8.
Gord Slack, an employee of the farm owned by Jennifer and David Crowley, was operating a tractor and spreading straw across the barn floor.
David Crowley told the Peterborough Examiner there was a mechanical issue with the tractor, and sparks flew. The straw caught fire, and industrial fans inside the barn spread the flames throughout a barn.
Barn fire at Crowley Farms in Norwood, Ontario.
Photo: Joelle Kovach
An empty chicken barn measuring 400 feet long and 46 feet wide burned down. Damage is estimated at $1 million.
Slack was treated on scene for second degree burns to his fingers and arm. He was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre for further assessment.