Published: 4/23/2021 12:48:30 PM
BERNARDSTON — A barn fire in the early hours of Friday morning took the lives of eight goats and damaged two nearby vehicles, after a heat lamp was left in the barn to keep one of the expecting goats warm.
Fire Chief Peter Shedd said the call came in from 396 Brattleboro Road at 1:26 a.m. He said the fire was under control 15 minutes after two engines and 11 Bernardston firefighters responded, and the scene was cleared at 3:20 a.m.
While the fire was quickly under control upon arrival, Shedd said the roughly 20-by-30-foot barn was “destroyed.” Lost in the fire, besides the barn, were five adult goats, one of which was expecting, and three newborn goats. Shedd said the goats were pets for the property owner and her young children. Additionally, two nearby vehicles were damaged — “one minor, one totaled,” Shedd said.
“(The) owner had placed a heat lamp in the barn because one of the goats was expecting, and we found three small goats in that area of the barn,” Shedd said of the cause.
He said a check of the electrical system showed a trip in the breaker to the barn. Shedd said remains of the heat lamp were found underneath one of the goats, and it was possible that, “goats being goats,” one of them accidentally knocked the lamp over while curiously inspecting the new item in the barn.
Massachusetts State Police assisted at the scene early Friday morning, and the Northfield Fire Department provided station coverage in Bernardston covered the Bernardston Fire Station.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.