Fire officials are calling a fire at a pumpkin patch and farm that donated some of its proceeds to children’s charities suspicious.
Three stations and a total of 35 firefighters responded to Colton’s Fun Farm on Jerseyville Road on Wednesday.
“At about 4 a.m. our barn and all our attractions burned to the ground,” the business says in a Facebook post.
Owner Lyndsay Gallant says the family is reeling.
"Just complete and utter devestation of the last three years of our life," she says.
The Brant County fire chief confirmed those details. He also said the family’s goats were killed in the fire.
"The fire does appear to have indications of being suspicious," explains Tom Walschmidt, fire prevention officer for the County of Brant Fire Department.
The farm is named after their late son, Colton.
Now, some of the proceeds go towards helping children battling cancer.
“I wanted to help people and now I can’t, and that was the whole point of this to begin with,” Gallant says.
Dozens of people offered their support on the business’s Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.
The family says it will plant some pumpkins and hope that the weather holds out in time for them to open for the season.
The Ontario Fire Marshall has been called in to investigate. Early indicators have led investigators to believe that it may have been arson.
