A herd of about 50 goats were killed in a barn fire early Monday morning just south of the Blair Municipal Airport.
Fort Calhoun firefighters were initially dispatched at approximately 1:49 a.m. to a farm near the intersection of county roads 37 and P38.
Assistant Fire Chief Ben Ruthven said the barn was fully engulfed and the roof had collapsed when they arrived.
“There are no residents on the property so it was pretty well involved before we event got called,” he said.
Firefighters from Blair, Kennard, Bennington and Irvington also responded to the blaze, which was under control in about 30 minutes, Ruthven said. Firefighters remained on scene for about three hours.
Firefighters had to battle cold temperatures, which dipped below zero.
“It was extremely cold last night,” Ruthven said. “We had to move a lot of water. I think we put 20,000 gallons on it approximately, so moving water in those temperatures is always difficult.”
Bruce Camenzind, who owns the property, said there were about 50 goats in the barn at the time of the fire.
The Nebraska State Fire Marshal determined the fire was accidental. There were heat lamps running in the barn. However, the fire marshal could not point to that as the exact cause, Ruthven said.
No firefighters were injured in fighting the fire.
