Rural fire crews were busy this week after two separate barn fires north of Kitchener were responsible for the deaths of over 100 livestock. Between the two fires, 116 cattle and four horses were killed, according to fire officials.

On Saturday, a dairy barn fire near Alma was responsible for the death of 67 cattle. On Monday, a barn fire in the Township of Mapleton killed 49 cows and four horses.

The barns are a total loss, and fire officials are pleading with farmers to use extra caution to avoid similar calls in the future.

Township of Mapleton Fire Chief Rick Richardson said local fire stations installed water sources in the area of one of the fires over the past few years.

He said this has helped tackle rural fires quicker.

Officials say barn fires are a huge strain on people as they require more resources than most.

“So you need lots of people, in the beginning, to try and get it under control to save exposures or possibly even extinguish the fire in the barn as it is. We’ve done that a couple of times,” said Dennis Aldous, Fire Chief for the Township of Woolwich Fire Department

Fire officials say getting enough volunteers can be tough, and are asking farmers to help avoid future fires like these by taking precautions.

“Make sure their electrics is up to date, make sure their barns are fairly clean,” said Aldous.

Fire officials say it’s important to make sure there are no bare electrical wires inside the barn or other hazards that could spark a fire. This can help cut down the number of barn fires crews need to respond to.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture says while the owner should have insurance to cover their losses, these types of fires can be devastating for farmers who likely raised the livestock from birth.

“You work with them every day, twice a day, feeding them, looking after them, and then all of a sudden for them to leave so quickly… it is really hard on a person, the whole family, not just the farmer but the whole family because we all live it,” said Paul Vickers, Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

Vicker says he tries to keep fire extinguishers in his barn to quickly put out any concerns. But says with the type of straw that’s used for bedding and the fact that the barn is wooden can cause a fire to spread quickly.

“It’s pretty tough to really put firewalls up and that sort of thing. It gets to the point where the cost gets pretty steep to try and have everybody have a fireproof sort of a barn,” said Vickers.