Multi-million dollar blaze destroys Huron County barns
Flames still flicker from an early morning blaze that claimed a trio of barns on a farm near Holmesville, Ont. on Wednesday.
“There was a lot of damage. It was an old bank barn. They [farm owners] estimate over 100 years old. The second floor was already down by the time we got there, so it went really, really fast,” said Central Huron Fire Chief, Dave Renner.
Firefighters from five Huron County stations, including an aerial truck from Goderich, battled the blaze that is still smoking, hours later.
14 cattle and nine chickens perished in the fire, but firefighters were able to rescue 11 cattle and two sheep, before the three barn buildings came crashing down.
“It could have been a lot worse. If we’d had the winds from last week, it would have been a completely different outcome,” added Renner.
A barn fire near Clinton, Ont. caused millions of dollars in damages in the early morning hours of Dec. 7, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
The fire, which started around 12:45 a.m. last night, is not considered suspicious. The damage is so extensive, and Renner said the cause would go down as undetermined.
“It’s hard on the family. Their livelihood is still up and running, though. The dairy barn is still running, so we were happy for that. But, it could have been a lot worse, for sure,” said Renner.
A barn fire near Clinton, Ont. caused millions of dollars in damages in the early morning hours of Dec. 7, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
A large quantity of straw, animal feed and equipment was also lost in the blaze, pushing the damage estimate into the millions of dollars.
“We are probably talking two to three million dollars damage done to the buildings. The Fire Marshall’s office was alerted to the fire due to the damage figure, but did not attend the scene,” added Renner.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.