Fire destroys Alberta dairy barn, kills more than 50 cows
Posted January 15, 2024 8:44 pm.
Last Updated January 16, 2024 8:56 am.
More than 50 cows have died following a weekend fire that destroyed a dairy barn in Leduc County.
Fire crews from Leduc County responded to calls of a structure fire in the area of Glen Park Road/Highway 814 and Township Road 490 around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
A spokesperson for the Leduc County Manager’s Office tells CityNews roughly 50 dairy cows died in the fire, which will have “a major impact” on the farm involved.
The farm is known as a multi-generational dairy farm belonging to the Maskolske family. A video on Instagram shows the property over the past few years.
Witnesses tell CityNews they rushed across the fields to try and help, but say the smoke was “too thick to help in any way.” They say by the time they got there it was already too late to try to save the cows.
An extreme cold warning remained in place throughout the weekend, making it challenging for fire crews.
“The extreme cold temperatures experienced on Saturday led to the freezing of hoses, nozzles and fire apparatus, making it extremely difficult to fight the fire,” a Leduc County official said.
Crews from the City of Leduc and Millet were also on scene to help battle the blaze.
Fire officials from Millet tell CityNews they were called in to assist and say the dairy barn was “fully involved” when they arrived.
“It was an immediate defensive firefight in the harshest of conditions,” a Millet fire official said.
Officials say the fire was deemed under control around 7 p.m. The fire remains under investigation.
CityNews spoke with the RCMP, who confirm they were not called to the scene.
