A large fire has caused extensive damage to the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus in Bible Hill, N.S.
The fire broke out around 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Ruminant Animal Centre, which houses 30 dairy cows, some sheep and lots of hay.
The RCMP say all staff and animals were safely evacuated from the building and no injuries were reported.
The fire was quickly contained to the feed centre as crews battled smoke and hot spots.
“It was really hot inside and it was dangerous so we actually tackled it from an external point of view, but with both aerials we were able to knock the fire down … we’re very fortunate, I think, to be able to isolate it and keep it in one structure and not advance it into the other part of the structure,” said Bible Hill Fire Chief Dwane Mellish.
Faculty of Agriculture Dean David Gray says the farm team effectively led the dairy cows to safety.
“They did an absolutely fantastic job,” he said. “They were not in any risk themselves but the smoke was quite thick once the animals were evacuated we ensured they were all checked out by emergency services.”
Fire crews returned to the scene Tuesday to address a flare-up, but it was contained quickly.
They are now focusing on the cause of the fire.
“We're doing an assessment whether it's safe to enter the building to do some more investigation at this point we have no evidence to suggest it's anything other than accidental fire,” said Mellish.
The fire chief said the roof sustained extensive damage and the cost to repair the damage is expected to be more than $100,000.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsettand Amanda Debison.
