A three-alarm barn blaze that killed 4,000 pigs Tuesday is believed to be one of the most significant fires in recent memory in Plympton-Wyoming, says the town's mayor.

“It's devastating to the town,” Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Lonny Napper said Tuesday afternoon. “We're basically an agriculture community and any time a disaster like this hits it hits everybody.

“It's kind of a dark day here in Plympton-Wyoming.”

More than 40 firefighters from three Lambton fire departments spent hours battling the blaze that broke out Tuesday morning in a 100-by-400-foot barn at Huybers Hog Haven Ltd., a commercial hog producer and cash crop operation on Confederation Line.

Heavy smoke could be seen billowing from the hog operation for hours.

At the time of the fire, the property owners were present, but there were no human injuries or fatalities, said Plympton-Wyoming Fire Chief Steve Clemens.

The cause of the fire and the value of the damage have yet to be determined, but a two-barn fire that killed 3,500 pigs just east of Forest in May 2007 caused about $1 million in damage.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, Clemens said the fire had been “totally contained,” but firefighters from two stations remained at the scene.

He hoped to be able to enter the fire area and determine whether the the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall (OFM) needs to attend the scene.

“It's basically my judgment call whether or not there's anything for them to touch and see for investigative purposes,” he said. “I haven't been able to enter the fire area. Until that's determined it can be entered, we can't advise the OFM.”

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to just the barn thanks in part to the help of the weather Tuesday.

An easterly wind pushed smoke away from the residence on the property.

“It was perfect weather for us to be able to operate,” Clemens said.

Lambton OPP closed off a stretch of Confederation Line, between Stewardson and Leyton roads, for several hours Tuesday morning, but the road was reopened to traffic in the afternoon.

Napper, who knows the property owner, said the fire is a “big loss to the farmer.”

“I know he just had a lot of remodelling out there and it was a state-of-the-art set-up,” he said. “It hits home when something like that hits, especially in a small community like this and an operation of that size.”

Members of the media weren't permitted on the property Tuesday, according to a police officer at the scene, and a call to the residence went unanswered.

“Luckily there was no one hurt, that's the big savings of it all,” Napper said.

tbridge@postmedia.com

@ObserverTerry



(TERRY BRIDGE, Sarnia Observer)