London firefighters battling a barn fire on Westminster Drive, September 22, 2021. Photo courtesy of the London Fire Department. London firefighters battling a barn fire on Westminster Drive, September 22, 2021. Photo courtesy of the London Fire Department.
London

Barn destroyed by fire in south London

No animals were hurt when fire consumed a barn in south London Wednesday night.

London firefighters were called to the rural property on Westminster Drive around 10 p.m. When crews got there, the barn was engulfed in flames and starting to collapse.

"There were other farm outbuildings nearby, which contained farming equipment and some hazardous material in the form of propane and fuel tanks," said Platoon Chief Kirk Loveland. "Firefighters were able to cut the fire off, stopping it from spreading to the nearby structures, protecting the exposures."

Loveland confirmed there were no animals inside of the barn when the fire broke out and no one was hurt.

Damage is pegged at $750,000 with the barn considered to be a total loss.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, said Loveland.

The blaze at the barn broke out on what was already a busy night for firefighters. Earlier in the evening, they responded to a house fire on Waterloo Street just east of Horton Street East. No one was hurt in that fire. The cause has been deemed "suspicious in nature." London police and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal continue to investigate.

Firefighters also received numerous calls about flooding and electrical concerns related to a significant rain system that dropped roughly 120 millimetres on the city.

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