Saturday was a busy day for firefighters in northern Wellington County.
A house fire and barn fire in Mapleton Township kept firefighters busy for much of the day. Luckily, there were no injuries or loss of life – human or livestock – caused by either blaze.
House fire
Emergency crews were called to a fire at an abandoned house on the 16th Line of Mapleton Township at about 3:20am on Sept. 24.
The house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Manpower and equipment from Arthur and Mount Forest aided the Drayton and Moorefield stations at the scene, located between Sideroads 18 and 19.
Hours after getting the blaze under control, fire crews returned to the property just before 5pm to extinguish hot spots.
Wellington North Fire Chief Dave Guilbault, who was among those to return later in the day, cited arson as the cause of the fire.
Firefighters remained at the scene for a few hours. There was no initial damage estimate for the fire, which destroyed the house.
Barn fire
The Drayton and Moorefield fire stations were called to the scene of a barn fire on the 12th Line in Mapleton at about 2:30pm.
Mapleton fire captain Eric Deckert said because there are three adjoining hog barns on the property, firefighters from Arthur and Floradale were called as a precaution.
Despite encountering heavy smoke upon arrival, firefighters were able to quickly ventilate the barn and had the fire knocked down by about 3pm.
Deckert said all 250 hogs in the barn were saved and there were no reported injuries. He told the Advertiser the fire was electrical in nature, originating in the barn’s walls and ceiling.
Fire officials said they were pleased with the quick response and results. There was no damage estimate for the fire.
Another call
Later in the day, at about 7:20pm, Mount Forest and Arthur firefighters responded to a call for a stove-top fire in the Spring Valley mobile home park in Wellington North. There was no further information available about that incident.
