90 cows killed in Ontario barn fire; latest in string of fires killing livestock

ST. THOMAS, Ont. – Another fire in Ontario has killed a large number of livestock.

Ontario Provincial Police said approximately 90 dairy cows died Monday morning in a barn fire in Elgin County, in southwestern Ontario.

Const. Troy Carlson said 10 or 15 cows escaped the blaze, which caused damage estimated at $1.5 million.

Carlson said it took firefighters several hours to bring the fire under control due to the large amount of stored hay, which is more difficult to extinguish.

Last week, firefighters had to dodge spooked cows as they battled a blaze following a crash on the TransCanada Highway in central Ontario, that left a cattle transport driver and seven or eight cattle dead.

More than 2,000 pigs died in mid-January in a barn fire north of London, Ont., while fires earlier in the month at two barns in the Guelph, Ont. area killed more than 50 horses, including 43 racehorses.

About 500 goats and 30 cows were also killed in a barn fire in mid-January. And a barn full of chickens died after a fire ripped through a farm in Listowel, Ont.