A Friday evening fire left a Puslinch barn completely destroyed with damage costs expected to be over $1 million.
Brad Bigrigg, interim fire chief for Puslinch, said they were on the scene Friday just before 5 p.m., along with Guelph/Eramosa who respond to building fires with the department.
The barn was located on a farm on Wellington Road 32 near Wellington Road 34. Bigrigg said it was a large commercial poultry barn approximately 60 by 400 feet.
“We tried to perform an offensive fire attack but prior to our arrival the fire had gotten into the attic,” Bigrigg said, adding this meant they had to switch to a defensive approach.
Eventually, five different departments would be on the scene as Bigrigg said they had to request assistance from Guelph, Cambridge and Hamilton as well.
He explained that because the fire had “full run of the attic,” the team withdrew from the building after about 10 minutes and applied water from the exterior of the building.
Two silos and two adjacent, nearly identical barns, were on the property but were not involved in the fire.
“The building was not occupied with poultry, they had shipped out their last shipment,” Bigrigg said. “The barn was just undergoing regular cleaning and maintenance at the time of the fire.”
One firefighter was treated for heat illness and remained at the scene. Puslinch Fire and Rescue was back in service around 10:30 p.m. that night and a truck remained on scene until 1 a.m.
Bigrigg said the fire is not considered suspicious and they are currently trying to figure out what started it between two potential causes, both accidental.
The chief said damage is estimated at $1.1 million. Due to the large nature of the fire, Bigrigg said the fire marshall was contacted but declined the opportunity to investigate.
Bigrigg thanked neighbouring fire departments for their assistance and stressed those who find themselves at the scene of a fire to immediately call 911 before attempting to fight a fire yourself.
