CORNWALL, Ontario – More than 100 cows were killed in a massive fire near St. Raphaels on the weekend that could tally more than $1 million in damage.
“The entire farming community is in mourning,” said South Glengarry fire chief Vix Leroux.
A family dairy farm on County Road 18 west of Brown House was devastated by the Saturday night fire that claimed the lives of the livestock, but thankfully did not result in any other injuries.
All five South Glengarry fire stations responded to the incident, with approximately 55 firefighters at the scene until approximately 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The investigation branch of the Office of the Fire Marshal was notified of the incident and in investigating.
Leroux said the cause of the blaze is still listed as “undetermined” and insurance adjusters are completing an investigation as well.
He said the total loss of the farming operation will leave reverberations for some time.
“There’s no small farms anymore,” he said, adding three generations of family relied on the farm for income. “It’s definitely one of the bigger ones I have seen as far as farm operations.”
