An estimated 800 animals died after a dairy farm went up in flames near Steinbach, Man., Monday.
The Steinbach Fire Department said they were called to a four-barn fire off Municipal Road 38 just before 5 a.m.
“They are figuring that around 800 head of cattle have perished,” said fire chief Kelvin Toews, adding the numbers are preliminary.
“It’s a large fire, a large loss,” he said.
Toews said close to 200 cattle were saved from the fire. He said he believed the farm held at least 1,000.
Operations were underway when the fire started, and everyone evacuated safely with no reported injuries, he said.
Six tankers and several trucks were needed to get the ffire under control within a few hours.
Crews from St. Anne, La Broquerie, New Bothwell and Blumenort assisted in fighting the fire, shuttling water because of the barn’s location, Toews said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
