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Norfolk County firefighters estimate at least 20,000 pigs have died in a barn fire in Ontario Tuesday morning.
Norfolk County fire officials said three stations responded to the fire at an address on Highway 3 near Simcoe around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.
When crews arrived, they found the entire approximately 200,000-square-foot barn engulfed in flames, James Robertson, deputy fire chief for Norfolk County, said in a news release.
Crews remained on scene until midday, battling hot and humid conditions and trying to extinguish the flames. At the peak of the fire, Robertson said there were eight stations, 40 firefighters and 15 pieces of apparatus on site.
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No injuries were reported by farm employees or firefighters, but Robertson said it is estimated that at least 20,000 pigs died in the fire.
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The fire is not being treated as suspicious at this time, he said.
Norfolk County is advising area residents to stay indoors as smoke spreads across the region, reducing visibility and affecting air quality.
Highway 3 between Charlotteville East Quarter Line and Windham East Quarter Line Road is closed., The OPP said around 10 a.m.
Work to extinguish the fire is expected to take several hours, said Norfolk County Deputy Fire Chief James Robertson.
Norfolk County Fire Department
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