An overnight fire north of the village of Erin destroyed a barn and left six horses dead.
A total of 30 firefighters from Erin, Hillsburgh and Rockwood responded at around 2:30am on June 6 to a report that a barn on Wellington Road 23 was on fire.
“What they saw from the station, what they saw en route … all saw nothing but a big glow of orange in the sky,” said Erin Fire Chief Jim Sawkins.
“The barn was fully engulfed.”
Sawkins said the incident commander determined the barn was a loss shortly after arriving.
“They directed their efforts at providing coverage to the exposure, which was the residence next door,” he said.
Wellington County OPP officials stated no one was injured, but the structure is considered a total loss, along with six horses and equipment.
Damage is estimated at around $1 million.
Sawkins said the firefighters were told immediately of the horses inside.
“The lead hand said he tried to open the door and wasn’t able to,” said Sawkins. “You make a determination at that point that nothing survived.”
Sawkins said it was difficult to isolate the cause of the blaze, but the area of origin was in the workshop connected to the barn. It is not being treated as suspicious.
“Based on what (the firefighters) faced when they arrived on scene, there was no chance that the building next to the barn would have survived and it was through their efforts and hard work that that structure was saved,” said Sawkins.
Erin Fire and Emergency Services and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal investigated.
