More than 1 million gallons of water used to battle Exeter, Ont. barn blaze

Flames could still be seen more than 12 hours after a hay storage facility near Exeter started burning late Sunday night.

“We arrived shortly after 10:30 pm last night [Sunday] to find a fully engulfed structure with about 3,000 large square bales of hay and straw inside. We immediately set up operations, and called in our mutual aid partners,” explained South Huron Fire Chief, Jeremy Becker.

In all, 75 firefighters from nine surrounding volunteer fire departments including Grand Bend, Exeter and Ailsa Craig, were called into battle the very large and stubborn blaze.

Twelve tankers had to be used to haul water to the scene, which was on Airport Line, just northwest of Exeter.

A barn on Airport Line north of Exeter went up in flames around 10:30 p.m. on July 9, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“We’re out here in the rural part of the township, so we’ve got to go back into Exeter and Hensall for water. So, that’s the need for the 12 tankers, plus we’ve got a ladder truck that’s put a large volume of water on the fire, as well, trying to keep things cool,” said Becker.

As of noon, Becker said more than one million gallons of water had been used to try and douse the flames, which persisted, in many of the 3,000 individual hay bales in the three-sided steel structure.

“You’ve got to get them [the bales] out and break them apart, and soak them. That’s the only way to put these fires out. They’re painful to put out, but the main thing is to look after the firefighters and keep them hydrated and fed. We’ll get the job done,” said Becker.

A barn on Airport Line north of Exeter went up in flames around 10:30 p.m. on July 9, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Becker said there were no injuries or cattle killed, who resided in a nearby barn, as a result of the fire.

He estimated damage at more than $2 million, and expects fire crews to be on scene most of Monday, and probably returning throughout the week to put out hot spots.

“These farms are getting bigger, so it takes a lot of water, especially when you’re in rural Ontario. We don’t have hydrants every block like we do in the towns and cities, so that’s why we need to rely on the tankers so much,” he said. 

A barn on Airport Line north of Exeter went up in flames around 10:30 p.m. on July 9, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)