Rescue Crews, volunteers and neighbors rushed to the scene just before 5:30 p.m. in Perry Township, after hearing that the roof of a barn on Xanadu Jersey Farms collapsed.
“All that weight on a tin structure, that we’re looking at, would definitely weigh it down,” said Jim Tuchek, with the Sheakleyville Fire Department.
Inside the barn on Laver Road were an estimated 200 cows.
A structure collapse rescue team worked to secure the building, while others did all they could to reach the animals buried in debris.
“We have probably 20 Amish men in there shoveling snow off of the tin that fell, which has all the snow on top of it, and all the tresses are also involved,” said Tuchek.
Officials said more than half of the barn’s roof fell. It’s still too soon to know for sure how many cows died, but officials estimate around 20.
“They’re taking the cows out of the west side of the building right now, just in case the other side does collapse,” said Tuchek.
If there’s anything positive in this, it a sense of community. Several people told 21 News they were amazed at the number of volunteers and neighbors who came, without hesitation to lend a hand.
It wasn’t immediately clear where the surviving cows would be housed for the time being, but officials said neighbors and Mercer County Animal Response Team were assisting.
Source: WFMJ
