CANADA-FARM FIRE-A group of four connected farrow-to-finish barns, worth about $8 million when built in southeastern Saskatchewan in 1999, were wiped out Tuesday by fire, Saskatchewan media report.
CBC in Saskatchewan reported Wednesday that the Bon Accord Barns at Jasmin, Sask., about 80 km west of Yorkton, were destroyed late Tuesday night.
The barns, which are owned by Kitchener, Ont.-based pig breeding firm Hypor and had employed 19 people, could house about 1,200 sows, news reports said. It’s not yet known how many hogs were in the barn at the time.
The Canadian Press news agency reported that firefighters from the communities of Melville, Ituna and Kelliher responded but "nothing could be done to save the animals inside."
The provincial fire commissioner’s office and RCMP from Melville and Ituna were reported Wednesday as investigating the cause of the fire.
CTV quoted employee Ed Datchko, who reportedly sounded the alarm, as saying the loss of the barn will have a big impact on both the community and the industry.
