'We'll come back': Fire destroys barn, 17,000 plants at family-owned N.B. business

It’s a call no one ever wants to get, especially in the middle of the night.

Jonathan Howe was with his family in Oromocto, N.B., when he received a call at 2 a.m. Sunday saying his barn was on fire.

The owner of Sunden Farms drove home to Lower Coverdale, N.B., immediately and was in total disbelief when he arrived.

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“You don’t expect something like this to happen at two o’clock in the morning, you just don’t. You just don’t anticipate that,” said Howe.

Despite efforts from 28 firefighters from five different communities, the barn was destroyed.

Crews responded to a barn fire in Lower Coverdale, N.B., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Source: Facebook/IAFF Local 2549 Riverview Professional Firefighters)

Sunden Farms is a family-owned hydroponic farm that grows 15 different types of lettuce as well as kale, Swiss chard and herbs all year-round.

The produce is sold to 14 different retailers and 30 restaurants.

Howe said the barn that burned to the ground was actually three separate facilities in a mixture of buildings – some over 100 years old.

No one was hurt and no animals were killed, but the business did lose around 17,000 plants, roughly 40 per cent of their production.

Fire destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants belonging to Sunden Farms in Lower Coverdale, N.B., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Derek Haggett/CTV Atlantic)

Sunden Farms employs six full-time and three part-time employees.

Howe said there’s no plans for layoffs at this time and the operation will continue in a newer building on the farm.

“We’re looking to rebuild. The only fortunate thing is that we have our other building that we’re building. Our brand new one. So eventually in three months that will come online and we’ll be able to replace what we lost here,” said Howe.

John Malloy, deputy chief of Fire Prevention for Riverview Fire and Rescue, said it was a challenge to get the fire under control because water had to be brought by tanker trucks from fire hydrants in Riverview.

Malloy said smoke was showing when they pulled in, but flames were not visible until moments after they arrived.

“We had to pull our crews out from inside the building. They originally tried to go in and fight the fire, but then realized there was just too much fire to do that with the limited water supply,” said Malloy.

Malloy said 28 firefighters from Riverview, Hillsborough, Moncton, Dieppe and Salisbury conducted a “defensive attack” in order to save the homes and other buildings nearby.

Firefighters were on scene from around 2 a.m. until 7:30 a.m.

Howe, a military and combat veteran, said they’ve received an outpouring of support from community and friends.

“People have reached out to us from across Canada, parts of Europe and the support from within our local community here in Lower Coverdale and Riverview and Hillsborough and Moncton and Dieppe has been phenomenal,” said Howe.

“It’s quite heart-warming.”

Having served in developing countries like Afghanistan, Howe said he knows the importance of fresh food and food security and he takes great pride in that.

As he looked at the smoke and fire from hot spots Monday morning, he noticed a small row of basil plants that somehow managed to survive the fire.

“It’s a good sign of our resilience,” he said. “We’ll come back.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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