A dairy farming family says it will rebuild after its main production facility was destroyed in a fire that started late Wednesday night at the Blackwell Dairy Farm about 20 kilometres east of Kamloops.
Owner Ted Blackwell was in bed when he heard an explosion at the processing plant.
“It was like a sonic boom and then there was another boom and we couldn’t figure out what it was and then all of a sudden we see the flames coming up from the back of the plant,” Blackwell said.
The fire was spreading quickly in the building, so Blackwell called 911 and he and his son-in-law used water trucks to wet the area between the production facility and a cattle barn.
Gerri and Ted Blackwell with their daughter Laura Hunter and her husband Ryan plan to rebuild after a fire destroyed the family farm’s main processing plant. (Jennifer Chrumka / CBC)
His daughter Laura Hunter tended to the animals — 70 milk cows and calves.
“We moved the cows out right away into a completely different area away from all of these buildings,” she said.
“There were no animals hurt.”
About 25 firefighters from Kamloops Fire and Rescue battled the blaze until well into the morning hours.
Fire Chief Mike Haines said the building was fully engulfed when crews arrived and firefighters worked to make sure it didn’t spread to nearby structures.
“We more or less call this situation ‘a surround and drown,'” he said.
“We just stay at a distance and try to limit further damage.”
The remains of the processing plant destroyed by the fire Wednesday night. (Jennifer Chrumka / CBC)
The fire department is investigating the cause, but a preliminary investigation points to it starting in either one of the delivery trucks or inside the production facility, according to fire investigator Ray Webster.
Apart from its own milk, Blackwell Dairy Farm processes milk for dairy farmers in the North Thompson, Shuswap and Okanagan.
Blackwell said his family will clean up and rebuild the production facility.
“We’re looking at a pretty large bump in the road here right now,” he said.
“It’s going to take some time to rebuild.”
Source: CBC
