Massive Barn Fire near Waterford

Tuesday, 22 October 2019 at 17:10

Nobody was injured and no turkeys were harmed after a massive barn fire near Waterford.

WATERFORD - Nobody was injured after a massive fire at farm near Wateford this morning.

Crews rushed to the scene around 8:07 a.m. on Villa Nova Road. When Firefighters arrived they found a fully involved fire in a large, wood framed, metal covered shop, located between 3 turkey barns on the property.

Norfolk County Fire Prevention Officer Michael Atkins said that no one was injured in the fire.

“It’s my understanding that a neighbour was passing the property when he noticed smoke coming from the shop and called 9-1-1. He then alerted the people who live on the property. No one is in the building at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.”

Three turkey barns located on the property were shrouded in smoke from the fire but the owners of the property confirmed that all the birds were safe and unaffected by the smoke and fire. Atkins says luckily they were able to stop the fire from spreading.

“Once the fire was under control and the smoke conditions were made safe, the manager of the farm was able to check on the turkeys. Luckily all of the poultry was safe and the overall operation of the farm will not be impacted by this fire.”

Firefighters from five different Norfolk County fire stations were involved in the incident. OPP had a portion of Villa Nova Road closed while firefighting operations were on-going. Norfolk County Paramedic Services were on scene on a stand-by basis. Hydro One crews were needed to isolate power to the shop.

Atkins says that the cause of the fire is unknown but is not considered suspicious.

“Unfortunately, the building was a complete loss. We had to bring in an excavator to help firefighters get access to burning materials located beneath the metal sheeting after a large portion of the building collapsed from the fire. While the cause is officially listed as undetermined, we are not treating the fire as suspicious.”

Damage to the building is estimated at over $700,000 and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office was notified of the incident but did not attend.

The building was insured however; the contents including the vehicles stored inside were not.