Wellington County experienced two deadly barn fires at opposite ends of the county last month, which local fire officials say is uncommon.
“I’ve never seen trends like this and it seems like an anomaly to us,” said Tom Mulvey, public safety officer and district chief for Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue.
“We’re not exactly sure … what the causes of all these fires have been and … once we realize that, we can work on some fire prevention tactics that may help the barn owners and farm owners to stop that from happening.”
Two Wellington barn fires in January killed 55 horses: 43 in Puslinch at Classy Lane Stables on Jan. 4, and 12 at a boarding stable in Mount Forest just 10 days later, on Jan. 14.
However, Wellington is not the only region in Ontario that experienced fatal barn fires in the first month of 2016.
A fire on Jan. 13 near Listowel killed a barn full of chickens, a fire in Georgetown on Jan. 15 killed two cows, a fire near Delaware on Jan. 17 killed 500 milking goats and 30 head of cattle, and a fire near Parkhill killed 2,100 pigs on Jan. 19.
On Feb. 1, 85 dairy cattle perished in a fire in Elgin County.
Wellington North Fire Chief Dave Guilbault said barn fires of any kind are tragic for the community.
“A fire on a farm is the worst nightmare for a farmer, for the farming community,” said Guilbault. “It’s the worst, because they know how devastating and how destructive it is.”
While Puslinch Fire Chief Steven Goode said the risk of fire doesn’t change with the season, Wellington Federation of Agriculture president Janet Harrop said the unique weather conditions of the last few months may have contributed to the deluge of barn fires in January.
“We don’t know the cause of some of these fires, but often when you get unknown causes of fires in barns it’s rodents that are chewing through wire and then you get a spark and it starts a fire,” Harrop explained.
“And this year with the unusually warm fall … the rodent density when the weather did get cold was really high and all of a sudden all these rodents are trying to find a warm spot and food and there’s been some speculation that … may be contributing.”
Harrop said she can’t remember a year in recent history prior to 2015 when there wasn’t a big freeze leading up to December. Without the freeze the vegetation remained lush, inviting the rodent population to leave its natural habitat for that time of year.
Now farmers are seeing a higher density of rodents in their barns and have mitigation measures in place to minimize the effects.
Mulvey pointed out some unique challenges faced by firefighters in colder temperatures, especially when it comes to outdoor water sources.
“If it’s a pond and it’s frozen, it certainly takes a little longer to get the water out of it but we have equipment on board that allows us to get the water,” Mulvey said.
“The fact that you’re pumping water in a cold temperature can be hard on the equipment and the firefighters – extreme cold, hoses freezing, equipment getting wet and gloves getting wet and things like that.”
Guilbault too, recognized the hardships of fighting barn fires in the winter.
“This time of year fire fighting in rural areas is in most cases very difficult and very arduous,” he said.
Guilbault added barn fires are “very taxing on fire service resources.
“It’s not downtown Toronto when there’s a hydrant on every corner and in between,” he said. “Obviously in the rural areas … you have to rely on water tankers and water shuttles and looking for cisterns or ponds that we can draw our water from and that’s just the nature of rural fire fighting.”
Harrop said one of the major considerations for farmers when planning emergency procedures is access to water.
“That’s why you tend to see ponds often on farms and … people say they think they look nice, but lots of times they’re there as a water source because we don’t have hydrants and that’s an issue,” she said.
Barns are particularly susceptible to fires because often there is a large amount of exposed wood.
“There’s so much wood and things inside the barn that can burn; hay, wood, all those things,” Mulvey said. He added it can be difficult to shoot water as it needs to go to effectively fight the fire.
Goode said prevention is the best strategy to minimize the chance of a barn fire, because once the fire has reached the point that the fire department is called, there’s little chance of rescuing the barn.
“If the fire’s not identified … and not dealt with immediately then the chances are minimal as far as getting those animals out,” Goode said.
At that point the focus shifts to keeping other structures, property and animals safe, rather than rescuing animals in the fire.
“We can’t take the chance of doing that because these are large animals and they could actually trap … a would-be rescuer in their stall,” Goode explained.
“They’re scared, (their stall) is where they feel comfortable, this is where they feel safe so there’s a lot of dangers associated with trying to rescue animals and we don’t promote it, to be honest.”
Wellington County fire training officer Jonathan Karn said if there is an opportunity to get the animals out, they will.
“Unfortunately, just the way the barns are built, a lot of times there’s hay or straw inside of them, they’re older barns, the wood’s really dry, the fire starts and grows really, really quickly,” Karn said
He also noted barns can collapse quickly, adding to the danger. “If it’s well-involved with fire, unfortunately we can’t put people inside to deal with the animals,” said Karn.
Guilbault said barn fires are tough on firefighters, especially with the loss of life.
“Fire fighting is very physically demanding, but also when you lose horses or loss of life there’s that mental component to it as well – that’s very tough on staff,” he said.
In terms of training, Karn said firefighters in the county have taken a large animal rescue perspective rather than just fighting the fire.
“(Barn fires are) difficult to train for, I think what would be more helpful is the public education in the agriculture sector,” said Karn.
Guilbault added his firefighters practice on a regular basis, including using port-a-tanks and rural fire scenarios.
“It can be (a nightmare) but that’s why we practice and we train and the incident commanders are on their game,” he said.
In the month since the Classy Lane Stables fire, Goode said he has heard calls for making sprinklers mandatory in barns. However, he said the height of barns is a challenge.
“In the area within most barns, the height of the ceiling … is so high that by the time the temperature gets to that sprinkler, it’s to the point where the heat is generated throughout the barn and is going to cause a large fire before even activating those suppression systems,” he said.
Instead, Goode suggests each barn have a room that has fire retardant walls where electronics and heaters are kept – with a sprinkler system in that space.
He said another area of public concern is whether an alarm system could help alert barn staff in the case of a fire. Goode said barn dust could potentially set off false smoke alarms and the noise could scare the animals. A possible solution is to have a heat sensor with a flashing light alerting those outside the barn to a fire.
“We don’t need all these aggressive sprinkler systems and detection systems if we’re able to prevent [fires] from happening to begin with,” Goode said.
He added, “That is something that a local municipality can take on, as far as fire and rescue services, is the preventing part – and that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
Guilbault agreed sprinklers are not the answer.
“There’s just so many negatives to that, like winter, water supply, pipes corrode,” he said.
As for provincial regulations, Karn said he doesn’t see that happening in the near future.
“When you talk about barns, it is difficult for me to say legislate a barn when they can’t even legislate sprinklers in a home,” he said.
Prevention starts
with an emergency plan
Goode said it’s one thing to have a plan, it’s another thing to know how to implement the plan.
“You can’t just have a plan, you have to practice that plan,” he said. “And you have to practice it continuously.”
All those involved with the barn should be aware of the emergency plan. To be prepared everyone should know the barn address and the number to call in the case of an emergency.
“The problem is with human nature, when the event happens things change so the simple thing of calling “911” isn’t so simple,” Goode said.
“People get in this adrenaline mode and unless they get the training and practice that, it’s very unlikely they’re going to know what to do … in case there’s a fire.”
Fire department inspection
Goode said one of the best ways to prevent fires is to have the local fire department inspect the barn for any hazardous materials or practices.
“Our goal this year is reaching out to every farmer in [Puslinch] and working with them as far as providing an inspection sheet for them so that they can go through the barn and make sure that they’re fire safe,” Goode said. “And (we will) make any suggestions that will assist and prevent these things from happening.”
Farmers who would like to schedule an inspection are encouraged to contact their local department.
Harrop pointed out farmers have a yearly inspection with their insurance agency to look for potential hazards in the barn. She encouraged farmers to do their own inspections frequently just by walking through the barn and looking for potential dangers.
Electrical inspection
Goode suggested each farm should have an electrician look at the barn’s electrical components. He said he went to a barn last year with an electrical panel that did not have a face and was covered with cobwebs, hay and other barn particles, which is a major hazard.
Guilbault suggested keeping lights free from nesting birds, explaining lights can heat up and nests can catch fire.
Mulvey also suggested keeping an eye out for rodents chewing through electrical wires.
Machinery and the disposal
of hazardous material
Goode said it’s important to dispose of oily rags and other hazardous materials in the proper way.
One of the best ways to prevent fires is to store machinery in a separate structure from livestock.
“You use that piece of machinery and you put it away, there’s a hot element on it or something that’s defective, that can cause a fire,” Goode said, noting the best solution is to keep the two separate.
Good housekeeping
Keep the clutter inside and outside the barn building to a minimum to reduce the risk of a fire spreading. Also, every barn should have a working fire extinguisher at each entrance and everyone involved should know how to use them.
For more barn fire prevention tips visit www.omafra.gov.on.ca.
