A 40- by 60-foot barn in the 200 block of the Ben Jackson Road was destroyed by fire Aug. 1. Photo by ContributedArticle contentThe owners of a small farm in Hants Border may have lost their horse barn to fire but, thanks to neighbours, the animals inside were saved.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentPaul Maynard, a deputy chief with the Hantsport Fire Department, said a motorist travelling along Highway 101 called in a suspected fire around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 1.Article contentArticle content“Probably less than two minutes later, dispatch reported to us that they were getting multiple 911 calls for a horse barn on fire on the Ben Jackson Road,” Maynard said.Article contentArticle contentHe went directly to the property, which was located in the 200-block of the Ben Jackson Road, in Kings County.Article content“The barn, when I arrived, was probably close to three-quarters involved in fire.”Article contentMaynard said thankfully the horses, which included a mix of standard and miniature horses, had been rescued by neighbours.Article content“That was probably the best news story of the whole incident – that the good friends and neighbours were able to save all the animals that were in harm’s way as a result of the fire,” Maynard said, praising their quick thinking.Article contentThere were no injuries reported.Article content Hantsport firefighters were called to a Hants Border barn on fire around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 1. While the barn couldn’t be saved, the nearby home and secondary barn were spared from damage. Photo by ContributedArticle contentMaynard said about 50 firefighters were on scene at the height of the call. Mutual aid came from Brooklyn, Windsor, Wolfville, Greenwich, New Minas, Port Williams, Waterville, and Kentville.Article content“We knew the barn wasn’t going to be salvageable at all because of the extent of the fire already involved,” Maynard said, noting they focused on saving the nearby home and barn.Article contentWhile the fire was under control within an hour, Maynard said the biggest challenge was the amount of hay inside the barn and the building’s construction.Article contentArticle content“It had supplies for the farm: a tractor, and lots of hay that they had just put in. Those were the main contents of the barn – all of which were destroyed in the fire,” Maynard said.Article contentThe wooden barn, which had metal siding and a metal roof, was about 40 by 60 feet in size. He said the fire department called in an excavator to assist as hay fires can be stubborn.Article content“We had to pull that metal off the contents of the barn and try to work the fire from there.”Article contentFirefighters returned to the property in the morning to deal with a flare up.Article content“We tried to get most of it last night but it burned so deep in the centre of the hay that a few of the bales had flared up and caught fire,” Maynard said on Aug. 2.Article content“There was a little bit of a spot fire under the metal roofing that we removed so we just extinguished that this morning and kept the crew on scene just to assist the fire marshal’s office with moving some debris while they conducted their investigation.”Article contentThe cause of the fire is still under investigation.Article contentThe barn was insured.Article content
Neighbours save horses as nighttime blaze destroys Kings County barn
