Four fire departments were called to a fire on the 6th Line north of Sideroad 20 here on April 28..
The call came in at about 3pm and Guelph-Eramosa Fire Chief John Osborne said he cleared the scene by 6:45pm.
The fire destroyed a mechanical shop and a large area of grass, he said.
Guelph-Eramosa, Erin, Puslinch and Centre Wellington departments all responded to the fire, with about 30 firefighers on scene.
Four departments were needed for the extra tanker shuttles.
“Because the grass had caught fire and with the bit of wind yesterday, the fire was spreading rapidly and there were animals, chickens and horses on the farm that were in the path of the fire so the crews were able to make a very fast stop of that grass fire to control it from getting at the animals,” Osborne explained.
There was also some minor damage to some abandoned mink barns on the property.
Osborne estimated the damage was roughly $20,000.
There were no injuries and the fire department deemed the fire accidental.
Guelph-Eramosa firefighters were called back to the scene in the evening because a manure pile was smoking. Crews put more water on it and there was no additional damage.
“We would like to remind people when having outdoor fires [to ensure] there’s no dry grass anywhere close that may spread the fire,” Osborne said.
