Between 2013-2017 there were 750 barn fires in Ontario, amounting to $180 million in loss. Those numbers have sparked concern among area fire departments.
It’s not that there are more barn fires, it’s that they are larger and more costly.
An average barn fire costs well over a million dollars now, and the size of barns means any fire puts a strain on small volunteer fire departments.
Fire chiefs and fire prevention officers, and local insurance companies, are now offering on-farm visits to try and catch problems before they start.
Forty per cent of barn fires are electrical, so thermal scans of electrical panels, motors and outlets are a big part of the on-farm fire prevention visits.
