Around 50 firefighters from nine of Norfolk’s 11 fire stations – using 14 front-line vehicles – responded at 6:45 a. m. and remained on site until 4 p. m. when the blaze was brought under control.
Jul 15, 2026 •
Firefighters in Norfolk County fought a large structure fire at a hog farm located on Highway 3 just west of Simcoe, Ontario, early Tuesday morning. Photo by Norfolk County Fire Department
The total loss of a barn measuring 200,000 square feet along with thousands of pigs due to a devastating fire early Tuesday in Norfolk County is estimated to be around $30 million.
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About 50 firefighters from nine of Norfolk’s 11 fire stations – utilizing 14 front-line apparatus – responded at 6:45 a. m. and were on scene until 4 p. m. when the fire was extinguished.
Norfolk County Deputy Fire Chief James Robertson mentioned that with such a large building, there are likely to be hot spots, but they weren’t called back for any additional issues.
“The owner reported a few small smoldering spots in isolated areas overnight that were being watched,” he said.
A blaze this big can put pressure on the firefighting system; however, the deputy chief pointed out that their team of 254 volunteer firefighters across the eleven stations means they can rotate coverage to ensure both urban and rural areas have support.
“Another strain put on our system was the amount of water used, drawn from hydrants in Simcoe,” Robertson said. “We used 3.5 million litres of water during that event, which is an enormous amount.”
“It did put a strain on the system, but kudos to our Norfolk County Water Department. They brought extra pumps online. We were never without water as they were able to keep up. Some residents might have noticed slight changes in pressure, but I don’t believe there were any outages.”
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The heat and humidity on Tuesday posed additional challenges; however, the fire service has rehabilitation vehicles where firefighters can take breaks and use cooling chairs and towels while having their vital signs monitored to ensure they’re okay medically.
“We use drone technology now (with) thermal imaging to ensure we are directing the water to where it needs to be,” said Robertson. “(For) a building of that size when you’re fighting it from ground level; it’s hard to see where the streams are going. We were able to use that technology more or less for the first time, and it was quite successful.”
“But we did run into an issue with some nearby aircraft and drone enthusiasts putting their own drones up,” he noted. “When there’s (other) aircraft around getting photos, it hinders our ability and forces us to land… if over water or fields it could lead to losing the unit.”
Robertson stated that the cause of the fire remains classified as undetermined.
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“Underneath the entire building is a pit for manure… so there are concerns about livestock and manure making it unsafe for investigation.”
A press release issued by Norfolk County on Wednesday afternoon confirmed that most of the water used during firefighting efforts ended up contained within the barn’s underground manure storage pit which significantly reduced potential runoff from the site.
“The Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks has confirmed that runoff from this incident was contained onsite and currently no environmental runoff concerns have been identified,” said Katherine Mc Curdy communications director for county.
“Norfolk County isn’t aware of any impacts affecting municipal drinking water systems or sources resulting from firefighting activities.”
Mc Curdy added some residents may notice temporary discolouration in their water due to the high volume moved through the system.
Cleansing operations will continue under oversight by appropriate provincial agencies ensuring site management aligns with relevant environmental standards she added.
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