FLAMBOROUGH — Western Ontario saw a rash of barn fires last month, with one wreaking $750,000 in damage.
A barn fire on Sheffield Road at Flamborough, southeast of Cambridge, broke out on May 19. Police blocked off the road from pedestrians as over 50 firefighters piled out to combat the blaze. It was a tense, defensive fire as there were buildings and a potentially explosive propane tank near the barn. Firefighters managed to keep it mostly contained to the barn, though there was some damage to the nearby grain silos. Between lost grain and a destroyed forklift inside the barn, and the damage done to the barn and the silos, the final tally was $750,000. The cause of the fire is unknown.
• A May 11 fire caused $100,000 in damage, but spared 195 cattle in an attached barn on Wittick Rd. at Woolwich Township in Waterloo Region;
• A May 18 fire destroyed a barn on County Road 8 at Cottam, near Kingsville in Essex County and caused $175,000 in damage, but all the animals in the barn were evacuated;
• A May 20 fire in Wellington County at Kupercrown Holsteins killed about 25 cattle. About a dozen died in the fire and 13 died later from injuries, or had to be euthanized because of smoke inhalation. About 45 animals were successfully rescued from the barn.
