MAPLETON – Multiple stations responded to a late night fire at a farm on the edge of the county that killed three horses but most structures were saved from serious damage.
Mapleton fire chief Rick Richardson explained over a phone call they got a call around midnight for a barn fire at an address on Wellington Road 86 near Dorking, originally thought to be a Mapleton address but was technically in Perth East.
The structure on fire was a large wooden implement shed with tractors, tools and horses — used by the owners who are horse and buggy Mennonites. Richardson said they couldn’t get the horses out and three died in the fire.
“We put a lot of water on the barn with all the beef cattle on it and the house which is not too far from that shed,” Richardson said, adding there were about 300 cows. “We saved both the house and the barn.”
Firefighters from Drayton, Moorefield, Milverton, Shakespeare and Linwood stations all responded to the fire. The Mapleton firefighters were there until about 4 a.m. before turning it over to Milverton to keep an eye out for hotspots.
The chief suspected the fire was caused by a tractor’s block heater and said a damage estimate is tricky when it comes to Mennonite properties.
“We always do like $500,000 on the building because it’s a Mennonite building, they build their own stuff with their own labour,” Richardson said, adding the cost of replacing tools and tractors would also depend on who you ask.
Mapleton Fire Rescue Responded to a Large barn -shed fire west of Dorking on 86 highway 5 fire stations responded protected other buildings Included house and large coverall holding 300 cattle 3 horse perished in the fire pic.twitter.com/s6pNpc2RNA
— tom wood (@mechanicnu) October 5, 2022
