A local farmer lost 19 cattle in a barn fire here last Saturday night.
Mapleton firefighters were called to the fire at around 9pm on Dec. 14. Firefighters from Palmerston and Linwood also attended the blaze on Wellington Road 11 near the Conestogo Lake Conservation Area.
Mapleton Fire Chief Rick Richardson said the farmer was using cutting torches to thaw frozen water pipes in order to water the livestock in the barn when the fire ignited.
Richardson said the owner led all the horses and 21 cattle out of the barn before firefighters arrived, but 19 cows died in the blaze.
“It was an old bank barn and it went up very quickly,” said Richardson, noting the barn was completely destroyed.
