A Ballykelly farmer has told of the devastation at his farm after almost 100 animals perished in a raging inferno on Sunday afternoon.
Ian Townley (40), told the 'Journal' yesterday that he is at a loss to explain the cause of the fire at his farm at Tirmacoy Road, which is not being treated as suspicious by police.
"I had just left the house with my daughter around 2pm and when we returned not much longer than half-an-hour later, the place was already well alight. It must have went up in seconds," he said.
"There was little we could do except try and get as many animals as we could out to safety. They were trapped in the sheds and we managed to save about 20 or 30 animals, but we've lost around 70 pigs and 25 cattle and that number will rise, I've no doubt about that, because some of the animals are having to be put down.
"I can't think what caused it. Maybe it was an electrical fault or something, but I'm at a total loss over how this started. I don't know where I'll go from here. The animals are your livelihood and I've been involved in agriculture all my life, since I was 15 or 16.
