Thirty-nine. That’s the number of significant fires in Wellington County in 2016, including 11 barn fires and 21 house fires.
The blazes, 10 of which were deemed suspicious, caused well over $14 million in total damages.
They occurred in both rural and urban settings and destroyed many structures.
Click here for the .pdf file outlining the location of the fires.
The year began with the tragic loss of 43 racehorses at Classy Lane Stables in Puslinch Township on Jan. 4. Just 10 days later, 12 horses perished in another barn blaze just west of Mount Forest. The cause of both fires was electrical failure.
Just a few weeks ago, a fire at a house in Palmerston may or may not have caused the death of David Hershey. Police say that fire is not suspicious.
While officials say the overall call volume this year is not abnormal, 2016 has brought a rash of large, costly and notable fires.
In Wellington North, Fire Chief Dave Guilbault said his department responded to 340 calls in 2016 (as of Dec. 20, compared to 380 in 2015). He added damages have increased in 2016 to $5.35 million, compared to $4.53 million in 2015.
“They’re very noteworthy fires … that impacts the community and it draws a lot of attention,” he said.
In November, a massive barn on Wellington Road 16 near Monck was destroyed by fire, causing $3.5 million in damage.
That was the largest single loss in 2016 in Wellington County (Classy Lane losses totalled more than $3.2 million, including the loss of elite race horses).
“I’ve never seen barn fires like what we’ve seen here,” said Guilbault.
“There’s been far too many barn fires in southwestern Ontario and a large loss of animals too, which I think is an anomaly.”
Guilbault said while newer structures are built to code and have added fire protection, new barns can burn differently than century barns.
He explained an old barn constructed of wood usually burns quickly and firefighters focus on protecting exposures – or adjacent buildings.
Yet at the newly constructed barn near Monck, firefighters worked to extinguish the flames for four days.
The 250-foot barn was constructed of steel, which collapsed on the hay. The fire burned underneath and caused flare-ups when the structure was pulled apart, explained Guilbault.
The biggest problem firefighters face at rural fires is finding a water source.
“It’s not like cities where there’s hydrants on every corner; we don’t have that luxury … a lot of our Wellington North and Wellington County is rural, so we have to rely on tankers,” said Guilbault.
Guelph-Eramosa deputy fire chief Jim Petrik agreed water supply is the biggest challenge in fighting rural fires.
In winter, when ponds and cisterns are frozen over, county departments rely on each other for both water and personnel.
Many of the house fires in Wellington County were caused by an electrical issue.
“It is disturbing to see the number of fires, particularly that have been attributed to electrical sources,” said Petrik.
“There’s been a significant number of fires over the past year; 2016 has been a challenging year for us.”
He also noted five suspicious fires in Guelph-Eramosa over the last three months of 2016 may have led to an increase in fires over 2015.
He added the suspicious fires are “troubling” for the fire department.
“It’s frustrating we’re having to put our personnel at risk to deal with a situation with structure fires that have apparently been intentionally set,” he said.
Petrik hopes there will be no progression from the unoccupied structures that were targeted to an occupied home.
“There is a risk that they start targeting structures that put other people at risk, and that’s the biggest fear,” he said.
Guilbault said over the years the basic principle of fighting fires hasn’t changed.
“Firefighting is still the same; we need human beings at the end of the hose line,” he said.
But Guilbault and Petrik agree fires now burn hotter and faster than in the past.
“The materials inside the house burn more intensely and more aggressively, creating hotter fires,” explained Petrik.
“Conversely, the structural materials used to build with a situation with structure fires that have apparently been intentionally set,” he said.
Petrik hopes there will be no progression from the unoccupied structures that were targeted to an occupied home.
“There is a risk that they start targeting structures that put other people at risk, and that’s the biggest fear,” he said.
Guilbault said over the years the basic principle of fighting fires hasn’t changed.
“Firefighting is still the same; we need human beings at the end of the hose line,” he said.
But Guilbault and Petrik agree fires now burn hotter and faster than in the past.
“The materials inside the house burn more intensely and more aggressively, creating hotter fires,” explained Petrik.
“Conversely, the structural materials used to build the house is of lighter-weight construction so what the impact is for us is the structural integrity of the house fails quicker.”
Petrik added technology such as thermal imaging cameras, higher flow capacity trucks and firefighting gear with more thermal protection, have changed the way that fires are fought.
Wellington North fire prevention officer Marco Guidotti said timing is key.
“Fifteen to 20 minutes back in the old days could have been enough time to try and save the house; now it’s 10 to 15 minutes that house is gone,” he said.
Fires also cost more to the community than just a dollar figure.
Petrik said displaced families have to rely on other family members and victim services after a devastating house fire. With barn fires, families lose livestock, crops and sometimes their livelihoods.
“Particularly with the suspicious fires that have gone on lately, there’s a huge cost in terms of the communities sense of safety,” Petrik said.
The fires also take an emotional and physical toll on firefighters.
Guilbault said volunteer firefighters attend fires, medical calls and car accidents – then return to their day jobs.
“We don’t go back to the station and sit around the coffee table or kitchen table and talk about it,” he said.
Petrik adds firefighters can experience high stress from the moment the call comes in.
“It’s always emotionally taxing because it’s a very stressful time when you’re faced with a structure fire without knowing for sure that no one is at risk,” he said.
Petrik added firefighters empathize with the people who have been displaced and have lost their belongings.
“It does have an emotional toll because you can see and you can appreciate the loss that these people have experienced,” he said.
“Every time we go out there’s a risk associated with responding to these fires, so that’s a cost as well, having to perform sometimes dangerous operations in order to keep the community safe,” he said.
For Guilbault, losing animals is particularly tough. In 2016, 157 cows, 55 horses and two dogs perished in fires across Wellington County.
“That really, really upsets me because we all have pets ourselves and we know how important family pets are to their owners,” he said.
However, he is thankful that no lives have been lost in Wellington North.
“It’s heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching for us as well, but it could have been a lot worse,” he added.
Petrik is hoping for a better year in 2017. With many of the fires this year caused by electrical issues, he stressed the importance of electrical safety.
“I think (the number of fires) really speaks to the need for people to be cautious about their use of electrical appliances and appropriate use of things like extension cords and not overloading circuits,” he said.
Petrik said people with wood burning heating appliances should get them cleaned and serviced regularly. He added families should practice good electrical safety and have functioning smoke alarms.
For Guilbault, the silver lining in the tragic barn fires is awareness.
“On a positive note, I think it did bring awareness and I think there’s been a lot of studies done on it now and people are just really more aware,” he said.
“It’s terrible that an event has to make people be aware.”
Guilbault said farmers should maintain their barns, have regular electrical inspections and properly store chemicals and oil.
“Maintenance of your facility will go a long way in helping prevent barn fires,” he said.
For homes, Guilbault stressed the importance of working smoke alarms and discussing escape plans that include all members of the family.
Though two dogs perished in a Dec. 8 fire on Main Street in Mount Forest, Guilbault said working smoke alarms helped prevent a worse outcome.
“If that hadn’t have been there, we’re pretty confident … that fire would have reached into her business and we would have lost the entire home and business,” he said.
Fire officials say everyone can learn from a busy 2016 and hope for a fire-safe 2017.
