A large fire erupted early Tuesday at a barn complex on Highway 3 close to Simcoe, raising worries that thousands of pigs might have perished.
Fire crews arrived after reports of the blaze came in around 6:30 a. m.
According to witnesses, the fire ignited on one side of the structure and quickly spread across the barn.
Fire officials are working to assess the damage. They report that the barn is completely destroyed and are trying to figure out how many animals were inside.
Norfolk Fire Chief Gord Stilwell stated that there were no injuries among people. However, the barn was quite large and sectioned off for different groups of pigs.
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“The information we have is the barn has the capacity for 20,000 pigs at different stages. At this time we don’t know the exact numbers. We know that there was livestock in the building. We’re not 100 per cent sure on the exact amount. It definitely would be a considerable loss,” Stilwell says.
“We have fire trucks and emergency services personnel coming to and from the area very regularly,” says Const. Andrew Gamble from the Simcoe OPP.
Gamble noted that battling the flames was tough due to extreme heat. Trucks had to bring their own water because it’s a rural area.
The estimated cost of damages is around $30 million, covering structure, livestock, and property losses.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation. On Tuesday, control of the scene was returned to the property owner.
Police closed part of Highway 3 to keep it clear for firefighting vehicles.
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