Wainfleet dog-training facility burns to the ground
Awoman was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after rescuing dogs from a barn fire in Wainfleet Saturday afternoon.
Wainfleet Fire and Emergency Services Chief Morgan Alcock said firefighters were called for the report of hay bales on fire inside a barn on Dixie Road just after 12:30 p.m.
“This is a dog training facility … all of the dogs and civilians were able to get out.”
Alcock said the woman, a dog trainer, suffered smoke inhalation as she was getting the animals out of the barn, set back on the east side of the gravel road.
Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics assessed the woman on scene and transported her to Welland hospital.
On Sunday, Alcock said the woman had been released from hospital later Saturday afternoon and had no significant injuries.
Initial reports put the cause of the blaze, which saw smoke visible tens of kilometres away, as accidental.
“They were cleaning hay and dog waste ( in the barn).”
Tanker trucks and firefighters from Haldimand County Fire Department and Port Colborne Fire and Emergency Services responded to the fire to provide mutual aid to Wainfleet.
Alcock said all of Wainfleet’s trucks were on scene and at least 30 firefighters were battling the blaze, which drew dozens of onlookers.
An excavator was called in to help firefighters move debris and reach hot spots in the barn.
“We cleared the scene around 5 p.m. and left it the hands of the homeowner,” Alcock said.
Dave Johnson is a St. Catharines-based reporter for the Welland Tribune. Follow him on Twitter: @DaveJTheTrib