Wind-whipped barn fire kills several piglets

March 12--TRAVERSE CITY -- Firefighters arrived in time to stop a wind-whipped barn fire in Clearwater Township from destroying a second, nearby barn.

Clearwater Township Station 5 Chief Jeff West said his department responded Saturday to a Kellogg Road address near Plum Valley Road at 4:08 p.m. They arrived to find one roughly 40-by-80-foot barn fully engulfed in flames and partially collapsed. Winds had fanned the blaze and caused it to spread to another barn to the south.

"If it had been a normal day with low, low winds, it would've went straight up," he said. "In this case, it laid down and was directly exposed to the barn to the south."

The owners had been able to save some full-grown pigs and chickens, but around a half-dozen piglets died in the fire that completely destroyed the first barn, West said.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire on the second barn and spared it from all but minor damage. They used a thermal camera to ensure embers hadn't fallen into or behind the hay kept inside. They left at 6:30 p.m.

West said he suspects the fire was caused by a heat lamp used to keep the piglets warm. The owner didn't have insurance on the structure, and further investigation is unlikely.

Kalkaska EMS personnel checked another owner for burns on their hands but found only superficial burns, West said. Otherwise, no one was injured. Kalkaska Township, Manistee Lake and South Torch Lake fire departments helped fight the fire.

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