Barn fire near Stittsville kills 24 calves

A barn fire that broke out at a dairy farm near Stittsville early Wednesday morning has killed 24 calves.

Brittany Hill whose family owns Hill Isle Farms, said she woke to someone banging on her front door shortly after 2 a.m. It was a neighbour alerting the couple to the fire that was blazing just metres behind their home. 

"When I looked out the window, I just saw red-orange smoke," Hill said. "I wasn't really sure what was on fire, but it was something big." 

Hill and her husband Spencer quickly realized it was one of their barns that was on fire and called 911 for help. 

According to Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) spokesperson Nicholas DeFazio, firefighters arrived at the scene to find the 10-by-25-metre barn at the back of the property engulfed in flames.

Intense fire forced 'defensive attack'

When the first fire crews arrived and saw the heavy smoke and flames they requested additional resources, DeFazio said.

Unable to enter the building due to the intensity of the fire, firefighters began a "defensive attack" by dousing the area with water. That prevented the fire from spreading to nearby silos, he said.

Because there are no municipal fire hydrants near the property, DeFazio said firefighters used tanker trucks to shuttle in water from the nearest source.

No one was injured in the fire, but Hill said her family was devastated to learn that 24 of their youngest calves had perished in the barn. The youngest was born just three weeks ago.

"Unfortunately there was nothing that we could do," she said, adding that the family is still in shock. 

Hill said a considerable amount of hay or feed, along with some machinery, was also destroyed in the fire.

Still, she said she takes some comfort in knowing things could have been worse. She said the family plans to rebuild the barn in the coming months. 

DeFazio said the cause of the fire remains undetermined. A fire investigator was at the scene Wednesday.