INGLESIDE, Ontario – If Bob and Kathleen Scott didn’t have bad luck, they’d have none at all.
The Ingleside-area couple is grappling with the second fire-borne tragedy in five years, as their barn with dozens of chickens, goats and cows went up in flames early Thursday morning.
The terrible news comes on the heels of another fire, in the summer of 2011, when the home they had just bought on Dafoe Road (they had only been living in it for three weeks) burned to the ground. That fire was electrical in nature.
“This was supposed to be for her,” Robert said, looking at his wife. “Now all of her dreams have gone up in smoke.”
An online fundraiser has been created for the couple, who were not sufficiently insured.
It’s unclear what started the fire, but at about 4 a.m. Thursday neighbours were pounding on the Scott’s front door, alerting them to the blaze.
The casualties include 35 goats, 30 chickens, two cows, a pair of calves (one just a week old) and a horse.
The Scott’s are understandably devastated.
“We need help,” said Robert, who is unsure if insurance will be enough to cover the losses. Having to rebuild their home just five years ago has put a hefty financial burden on the couple. “We’re just overwhelmed. Everything is running through our minds. It’s going to be tough.
“They were our babies.”
Firefighters arrived at the Scott home to extinguish the flames, but plenty of dry wood and stored hay kept the fire roaring until the entire structure was consumed.
“Poor John was out there with a fire extinguisher,” lamented Kathleen of her neighbour who tried to fight the flames.
As a military man Robert moved all over the place, but the couple had hoped to spend their retirement years living in South Stormont and enjoying a small hobby farm.
“I really feel badly for my wife,” he said. “This is really letting her down.
“It’s almost like two steps forward, 10 back.”
