UNITED STATES-FIRE AT PIG FARM. A multi-million dollar, 1,200 sow hog barn facility was destroyed by fire Tuesday night.
Firefighters were called to Hypor’s Bon Accord Nucleus facility south of Jasmin in the Rural Municipality of Ituna Bon Accord — about 150 kilometres northeast of Regina and 70 kilometres northwest of Melville — at approximately 11:10 p.m.
Dave Elash, deputy fire chief for the Ituna and Area Fire Department, said that fire had spread through much of the barns by the time crews arrived at the scene.
"By the time we got all our equipment in place, everything was just engulfed in flames," said Elash.
Other nearby buildings were "heat-scorched," but were saved from the blaze. The four hog barns, built in 1999 and valued at $8 million at that time, are a total loss.
"The structure is totally demolished. There’s not much left," said Elash.
No workers were in the building at the time of the fire.
Fire services from Kelliher and Melville assisted Ituna firefighters in tending to the fire.
Ituna Mayor Glenn Leontowich said that several dozen area residents are employed at the facility.
"It’s devastating for the community of course. It’s one of our major employers of the area and hopefully they are going to be considering rebuilding," he said.
"It’s definitely going to hurt the economy in town."
According to a statement released by Hypor, the company "began assessment/crisis action plans" on Wednesday. No further details were available.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
