An old milking barn was destroyed Wednesday in what Mapleton Township’s fire chief called the community’s biggest fire of 2015.
Firefighters from Drayton and Moorefield were first called to the property – east of Drayton on Wellington Road 7 – around 7:45 a.m.
“Upon arrival, we found the end of the barn fully involved. The structure was well on its way to going,” fire chief Rick Richardson told CTV News.
Additional crews were called in from Arthur and Palmerston, bringing the total number of firefighters on-scene to more than 40.
They were able to contain the fire to the one mostly empty barn, preventing it from spreading to chicken barns, a barn housing farm equipment and a house on the same property.
Richardson said several wagons were inside the barn that was destroyed – as well as about 100 bales of straw.
“That’s what fueled the fire, for sure.”
The cause of the fire was undetermined as of Wednesday afternoon.
