A barn fire, also known as a farm fire or stable fire (especially when horses are affected), occurs when a
barn
A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...
catches
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames a ...
, and is partially or wholly destroyed. This can lead to the death of animals, release of toxic fumes, and financial and material damage for insurers, owners, employees and nearby residents.
Belgium
Overview of problems
According to Prevent Agri, there are still too few precautions taken against barn fires in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. Often there are no fire extinguishing devices present, and other safety measures are often foregone because of the financial cost to the livestock company, and one usually does not take potential accidents into account in administration. Nor are there a reliable statistics on accidents, because CEOs are not obligated to register them; only employees do.
On 10 May 2011, Flemish MP Hermes Sanctorum (then a member of
Groen!
Groen (English: Green; nl, Groen, ), founded as Agalev (see Name below), is a green Flemish political party in Belgium. Its French-speaking equivalent is Ecolo; the two parties maintain close relations with each other.
Party history
Before 1 ...
) asked Flemish Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture
Kris Peeters
Kris Peeters (; born 18 May 1962) is a Belgian politician of the Christian Democratic and Flemish who has been serving as vice-president of the European Investment Bank (EIB) since 2021. Earlier in his career, he was Minister-President of Flander ...
how many barn fires had occurred in the previous years and how many animals had died as a result, and whether, and if so how, the Minister was planning to take measures against it. In June, Peeters responded that there had been 143 barn fires in all of Belgium between 1 May 2006 and 1 May 2011; in 62 of those cases, animals perished. The death toll was 192,862 animals, including 27,851 pigs, 196 cattle, 164,000 poultry (rounded estimate, mainly chickens), 8 horses, 7 goats and a few rabbits. Of all fires in Belgium, about 4% was a barn fire, which were mostly caused by electricity, overheating or
short circuit
A short circuit (sometimes abbreviated to short or s/c) is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path with no or very low electrical impedance. This results in an excessive current flowing through the circui ...
s in machines. The
Royal decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
of 19 December 1997 regulates the fire safety of buildings; on 15 August 2009, it was expanded with appendix 6 which regulates the fire safety of industrial buildings, including buildings for the purpose of commercial animal husbandry. Although appendix 6 contains stricter fire precautions than existed earlier, it only applies to newly built barns; barns built prior to 2009 are not yet required to comply with the new regulations. Peeters closed by mentioning several potential safety precautions, but said that fire safety was a federal competence (and thus the Flemish Government did not have the authority to take additional measures).
Major barn fires
Reported barn fires in which over 1000 animals died include:
*7 July 2014: 60,000 layer hens died in
Merksplas
Merksplas () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Merksplas proper. In 2021, Merksplas had a total population of 8,616. The total area is 44.56 km².
References
Externa ...
.
*21 January 2017: 4,000 pigs (3,000 piglets and 980 sows) died in
Aartrijke
Zedelgem (; vls, Zillegem) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Aartrijke, Loppem, Veldegem and Zedelgem proper. On January 1, 2019, Zedelgem had a total population of 22, ...
.
*31 May 2017: 26,000 chickens died in
Oud-Turnhout
Oud-Turnhout () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Oud-Turnhout proper. In 2021, Oud-Turnhout had a total population of 14,201. The total area is 38.80 km².
There are ...
.
*16 December 2017: 2,000 pigs died in Grammene in the municipality of
Deinze
Deinze () is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It comprises the city of Deinze, and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Hansbeke, Landegem, Meigem, Merendree, Nevele, Petegem-aan-de-Leie, ...
.
* In 2020 at least 70.460 animals died in eleven barn fires, among which 68.502 hens and 1850 pigs.
Canada
Overview of problems
The Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals evaluates that 610,000 farm animals died in fires between January 2015 and October 2018, including 5,000 cattle, 13,000 turkeys, 82,000 pigs and 450,000 chickens. National statistics about the cause of fires are not being kept, but the province of Ontario reports that 40 percent of barn fires for which the cause can be determined are due to the deterioration of electrical systems, which can be severe in an environment with dust, humidity and corrosive gasses. The
building code
A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permiss ...
s of several provinces do not currently require barns to have heat detectors and alarm systems. The provinces base their own codes on the
National Research Council National Research Council may refer to:
* National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development
* National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome
* National Research Council (United States), part of ...
's National Farm Building Code. A new version of the Code is planned for 2020, but may not include additional safety systems, as barns are considered "low occupancy" buildings. In any case, only new constructions are required to apply new standards. In addition, fire prevention standards are included in the voluntary codes of practice published by the National Farm Animal Care Council, which are frequently put into practice by producers.
Animal deaths usually attract little attention from the media beyond local outlets, unless they involve pets or horses.
Major barn fires
Reported barn fires in which over 1000 animals died include:
*13 March 2015: 100,000 chickens died in
Saint-Bernard-de-Michaudville
Saint-Bernard-de-Michaudville is a municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada in the Regional County Municipality of Les Maskoutains. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 616. The community was officially renamed from the Parish of S ...
, Quebec.
*25 March 2015: 2,200 pigs died in
Kola
KOLA (99.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Redlands, California, and broadcasting to the Riverside-San Bernardino-Inland Empire radio market. It is owned by the Anaheim Broadcasting Corporation and it airs a classic hits radio for ...
, Manitoba.
*17 April 2015: 3,000 pigs died in Ste. Anne, Manitoba.
*6 September 2015: 22,000 chicken died in
Zorra
Zorra is a township in Oxford County, situated in south-western Ontario, Canada. A predominantly rural municipality, Zorra was formed in 1975 through the amalgamation of East Nissouri, West Zorra and North Oxford townships. It is best known for ...
Township, Ontario.
*27 December 2015: 3,000 pigs died in Plessisville, Quebec.
*2 January 2016: 50,000 ducks died in
Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...
, Quebec.
*8 February 2016: 6,500 chickens died in Sainte-Famille, Quebec.
*17 March 2016: 4,000 ducks died in Saint-Camille, Quebec.
*27 September 2016: 45,000 chickens died in Busby, Alberta.
*16 November 2016: 27,000 hens died in
Terrebonne
Terrebonne, meaning ''good earth'' in French, is a name of several places in North America:
;Canada
*Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal
** Terrebonne station, a commuter railway station in Terrebonne, Quebec
**Terrebonne City Council, the go ...
, Quebec.
*17 January 2017: 17,000 chicken chicks died in Shefford, Quebec.
*1 February 2017: 4,000 pigs died in
Plympton–Wyoming
Plympton–Wyoming is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Lambton County immediately east of Sarnia. It is the seat of the Lambton County Council.
The town's first mayor was Patricia Davidson, who was elected to the House of ...
, Ontario.
*10 August 2017: 4,000 pigs died in
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
, Ontario.
*4 December 2017: 4,000 hens died in Elgin, Quebec.
*11 April 2018: 14,000 chicken chicks died in
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...
, British Columbia.
*27 May 2018: 3,000 pigs died near Otterville, Ontario.
*5 June 2018: 12,000 pigs died in Rosetown, Saskatchewan.
*29 June 2018: 60,000 hens died in Rivière-Héva, Quebec.
*15 October 2018: 30,000 chickens died in Sheffield Mills, Nova Scotia.
*11 December 2018: 1,300 pigs died in
Quinte West
Quinte West is a city, geographically located in but administratively separated from Hastings County, in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the western end of the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. The Lake Ontario terminus of the Trent–Sev ...
, Ontario.
Germany
Overview of problems
In
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Reported barn fires in which over 1000 animals died include:
*15 March 2017: 300 sheep, 500 lambs, 80 cows and 6 horses died in Elpersbüttel after a farmer's son played with fire in the barn. Animals poisoned by smoke in the adjoining barn in all likelihood had to be
culled
In biology, culling is the process of segregating organisms from a group according to desired or undesired characteristics. In animal breeding, it is the process of removing or segregating animals from a breeding stock based on a specific tr ...
as well.
*8 June 2017: 8,000 turkeys died in Borken, near Dutch
Aalten
Aalten () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The former municipalities of Bredevoort (1818) and Dinxperlo (2005) have been merged with Aalten.
Notable inhabitants of Aalten include Angus Young, guitarist of the Australian ro ...
.
Netherlands
Overview of problems
Causes and effects
Livestock barns tend to be very prone to fire because of the presence of dust, straw and
manure
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...
gases, while barn
roof
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of te ...
s are often made of highly flammable pur foam, enabling fire to spread rapidly.Air washing installations, which have been mandated by the government since 2012 for many animal husbandry companies in order to reduce
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous wa ...
emissions, are flammable because of electricity. Moreover, the air ventilation system of air washers can fan the flames. The fact that animals often have no place to flee in order to escape from a fire, and the fact that chicken's feathers are highly flammable themselves, further increases the risk of fatalities. The huge increase in so-called "mega-barns" (featuring large numbers of animals packed together in a single building) from 2005 to 2013, which complicate the isolation and extinguishing of fires, also drives up the number of victims per catastrophe. All these factors combined resulted in the deaths of well over a million animals by barn fires in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2011. Finally, many animals that survive a barn fire may be so poisoned by smoke that they still need to be
culled
In biology, culling is the process of segregating organisms from a group according to desired or undesired characteristics. In animal breeding, it is the process of removing or segregating animals from a breeding stock based on a specific tr ...
anyway.
Safety precautions and governmental policy
Because of a lack of safety precautions and government-designed regulations, many barn animals die which could have been saved. For example, emergency exits, sprinkler and alarm systems can be installed. Some livestock farmers don't do this, however, because it often costs a lot of money and is not obligatory. As of 2011, according to the Dutch
building code
A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permiss ...
(Bouwbesluit), animals had the same status as
office supplies
Office supplies are consumables and equipment regularly used in offices by businesses and other organizations, by individuals engaged in written communications, recordkeeping or bookkeeping, janitorial and cleaning, and for storage of supplies o ...
and machines, and did not require extra protection.
The Dutch government, in cooperation with farmers, insurance companies, fire brigades and the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals, enacted the Action Plan Barn Fires 2012–2016 'to considerably reduce the amount of barn fires and animal fire victims'. The Building Code was amended in 2012 and again in 2014: henceforth, new barns had to be built using fire-resistant materials and fire compartments, and there had to be firewater present. However, the action plan appeared not to work: the number of barn fires and animal victims rose even further. Besides, the new fire safety requirements only applied to barns built after 2014; older barns (15,500 of the circa 16,550) remained just as unsafe as before, and in the 2014–2017 period by far the most fires occurred in barns constructed before 2014.
By 2017, there was still no requirement for the installation of fire alarm and sprinkler systems or emergency exits for animals. Amongst others, the Wakker Dier foundation and the Party for the Animals (PvdD) campaigned for even stricter measures and requirements in July 2017. However, a motion to that effect, tabled by
Esther Ouwehand
Esther Ouwehand (born 10 June 1976) is a Dutch politician and former marketing manager serving as party leader, leader of the Party for the Animals ( nl, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdD) and its parliamentary group in the House of Representatives (N ...
(PvdD) and
Dion Graus
Dion Jean Gilbert Graus (born 19 March 1967 in Heerlen) is a Dutch politician and animal rights activist. He has been an MP on behalf of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) since 30 November 2006. He focuses on matters of agricu ...
( PVV), was voted down by a parliamentary majority of
VVD
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberalRudy Andeweg, Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingsto ...
, D66, CDA, CU and SGP. Farmers' lobby group LTO Nederland opposed obligatory sprinkler systems, arguing these were allegedly insufficiently tested and too expensive, particularly for smaller enterprises, and because 'most barns would never experience fires anyway'. LTO was convinced that barns had become safer since the action plan's introduction, but was puzzled why the number of barn fires and victims had only increased afterwards.
In 2018, the Action Plan Fireproof Livestock Barns 2018–2022 was launched, a sequel to the Action Plan Barn Fires 2012–2016. In the new action plan, the emphasis is on improving the fire safety in existing barns. Activist group Varkens in Nood ("Pigs in Distress") objected against the optional nature of the proposed measures, and called for extra legal demands.
Since 2009, the Dutch inventors Peter Berlang and Sjaam Hira, in collaboration with the Southeast Netherlands fire brigade and
Wageningen University
Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...
, developed the cable system Stable Safe. Because firefighters usually took twenty minutes to reach a burning barn, while the animals inside could be dead within ten minutes, this system was invented to let the animals escape the building automatically in the event of a fire. As soon as fire is detected, all the dividers and doors fall open and the livestock can escape outside. The system, which would cost each farm about 10,000 to 20,000 euros, was presented to the
Dutch Parliament
The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague.
The States ...
in 2015. In a test run, 65% of pigs fled outside, while the rest started to wander about. The researchers expect that, in a real fire scenario, 90% of the pigs would run for it. It would probably not work for chickens, however; when in fear, they tend to lie down flat on the ground. Just like in pigs, cattle often do not immediately flee when danger presents itself; on the other hand, horses do. After a devastating 2013 barn fire, the Spoordonk pig breeder Kees van der Meijden claims to have built 'the most fire-safe barn in all of Europe' employing numerous measures against emergencies, including a condensation apparatus that allegedly worked better than sprinklers, and trains pig farmers on how to best conduct their profession.
In 2016, a farm in
Echt
Echt may refer to:
* Echt, Aberdeenshire, a village in Scotland
* Echt-Susteren, a municipality in the Netherlands
** Echt, Netherlands
Echt (; ) is a city in the Dutch municipality of Echt-Susteren in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. ...
, belonging to the only pork production chain in the Netherlands with a triple star rating from the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals's "Beter Leven" certification mark, experienced a barn fire, but because the pigs could escape the building, none of them died.
Public debate
According to the Dutch Association of Insurers, there were 15 barn fires causing animal fatalities in 2015, 26 in 2016 and 28 in 2017. Because of a series of alarmingly large-scale barn fires in 2017, particularly in summer with De Knorhof in
Erichem
Erichem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Buren, and lies about 5 km west of Tiel.
It was first mentioned in 850 as Ermkina, and means "settlement of the people of Ero or Eric (person)". Th ...
as the low point, public debate in the Netherlands broke out on fire safety in barns and animal welfare. The activist group "Burning Souls" was already founded in January 2017 by Petra Spoor, who was outraged about the fact that the media frequently reported that 'there had been no victims', but there had been hundreds or thousands of dead animals, as if animals weren't 'victims'. The group holds vigils near burnt-out barns to commemorate the perished animals with flowers, candles and minutes of silence, calls on the national and local authorities to take stricter measures, and on citizens to make their consumption pattern more animal-friendly by eating less or no meat. A similar initiative was undertaken by activist group "Eyes on Animals" after the barn fire in
Oirschot
Oirschot (; ''Orskot'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is situated from the city of Eindhoven and from the city of Tilburg in the province North Brabant (Noord-Brabant). The municipality ha ...
, claiming the lives of 10,000 pigs in April 2016.
The Nederlandse Vereniging voor Veganisme reacted that it was "sympathetic" to hold vigils for animals burnt and asphyxiated to death, but odd that nobody was holding vigils for the circa 1.24 million animals who were slaughtered every day across the Netherlands, arguing that every dead animal should be mourned, regardless of the way in which it is killed. GeenStijl blogger Bas Paternotte also extended his compassion towards the suffering of animals in July 2017, and criticised the fact that politicians continuously failed to take better measures, although he himself continued to eat meat. Varkens in Nood launched a citizen's initiative to impose a general professional ban for Adriaan Straathof, owner of De Knorhof, which was signed over 40,000 times, meaning that Parliament had to discuss it. Straathof already had a professional ban in Germany because of cruelty to animals; Varkens in Nood sought to make that ban Europe-wide.
Major barn fires
Reported barn fires in which over 1000 animals died include:
*4 May 2004: 1,600 pigs died in
Wintelre
Wintelre is a village in the municipality of Eersel in the province of North Brabant, the Netherlands. Wintelre is part of the Acht Zaligheden (Eight Beatitudes), like Eersel, Duizel, Steensel, Knegsel
Knegsel is a village in the south of the Ne ...
.
*2005 in total: 149 cattle, 4,054 pigs and 78,000 chickens and turkeys died in 21 fires in the entire Netherlands.
*2006 in total: 13 cattle, 1,203 pigs and 294,934 chickens and turkeys died in 21 fires in the entire Netherlands.
*2007 in total: 24 cattle, 5,970 pigs and 3,919 chickens and turkeys died in 22 fires in the entire Netherlands.
*2008 in total: 760 cattle, 3,856 pigs and 236,292 chickens and turkeys died in 40 fires throughout the Netherlands.
*2009 in total: 470 cattle, 8,641 pigs and 98,789 chickens and turkeys died in 38 fires throughout the Netherlands.
*2010 in total: 181,000 animals died in twenty fires throughout the Netherlands.
*2011 in total: 319,000 animals perished in the entire Netherlands, in eighteen separate fires.
**19 July 2011: 170,000 chickens died in Gasselternijveenschemond.
*2012 in total: 120,000 animals died in eleven fires throughout the Netherlands.
**8 August 2012: during two simultaneous but unrelated fires, over a thousand animals died: in Drempt more than 700 sows and piglets and in
Aalten
Aalten () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The former municipalities of Bredevoort (1818) and Dinxperlo (2005) have been merged with Aalten.
Notable inhabitants of Aalten include Angus Young, guitarist of the Australian ro ...
more than 300 animals.
*2013 in total: 69,000 animals died in seventeen fires throughout the Netherlands.
**18 April 2013: over 5,000 pigs died in Spoordonk.
*2014 in total: 32,000 animals died in fourteen fires throughout the Netherlands.
**5 April 2014: 2,000 perished in Langeveen.
*2015 in total: 160,000 animals were killed in fires across the Netherlands, including 4,105 pigs in five fires, and 129,000 chickens in three fires.
*2016 in total: 202,000 animals died across the Netherlands, including 13,592 pigs in four fires, and 185,000 chickens in five fires.
**6 April 2016: 10,000 piglets perished in
Oirschot
Oirschot (; ''Orskot'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is situated from the city of Eindhoven and from the city of Tilburg in the province North Brabant (Noord-Brabant). The municipality ha ...
.
**10 June 2016: 2,000 pigs died in
Kruisland
Kruisland is a village in the municipality of Steenbergen in the province of North Brabant, in the Netherlands. It is located between Roosendaal
Roosendaal () is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of N ...
.
**28 July 2016: 1,300 pigs died in Erp.
**28 October 2016: 34,000 chicks died in
Wintelre
Wintelre is a village in the municipality of Eersel in the province of North Brabant, the Netherlands. Wintelre is part of the Acht Zaligheden (Eight Beatitudes), like Eersel, Duizel, Steensel, Knegsel
Knegsel is a village in the south of the Ne ...
.
*2017 in total: 231,700 animals died across the Netherlands, including 35,352 pigs in eleven fires, and 196,000 chickens in three fires.
**6 January 2017: 3,000 pigs died on industrial terrain Bijsterhuizen in Nijmegen.
**15 February 2017: 2,000 pigs died in
Mill
Mill may refer to:
Science and technology
*
* Mill (grinding)
* Milling (machining)
* Millwork
* Textile mill
* Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel
* List of types of mill
* Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...
.
**16 June 2017: 80,000 chickens died in
Woudenberg
Woudenberg () is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.
There are forests in the western part of the municipality. The Pyramid of Austerlitz is located in the municipality.
Etymology
The name Woudenbe ...
.
**6 July 2017: 4,000 pigs perished in Heeswijk-Dinther.
**15 July 2017: 76,000 chickens died in
Nederweert
Nederweert (; li, Ni-jwieërt ) is a municipality and a town in southeastern Netherlands with a population of as of and has an area of of which is water.
Nederweert lies at the intersection of three channels: the Zuid-Willemsvaart, the Noord ...
; the chickens that survived, were killed the next day by the order of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
**27 July 2017: at least 20,000 pigs died at De Knorhof in
Erichem
Erichem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Buren, and lies about 5 km west of Tiel.
It was first mentioned in 850 as Ermkina, and means "settlement of the people of Ero or Eric (person)". Th ...
. Never before in the Netherlands had so many pigs lost their lives in a single fire.
**14 August 2017: 9,000 pigs (1,000 sows, 8,000 piglets) died in
Groot Agelo
Groot Agelo is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Dinkelland, and lies about 9 km north of Oldenzaal.
It was first mentioned in 1252 as "Wicherus et Ludolfus filius suus de Agelo". The etymolog ...
.
**16 August 2017: 40,000 chickens perished in
Swifterbant
Swifterbant () is a town in the Dutch province of Flevoland. It is a part of the municipality of Dronten, and lies about 13 km northeast of Lelystad.
On 1 January 2014, Swifterbant had 6475 inhabitants.
**21 February 2018: 30,000 died in
Woudenberg
Woudenberg () is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.
There are forests in the western part of the municipality. The Pyramid of Austerlitz is located in the municipality.
Etymology
The name Woudenbe ...
.
**10 May 2018: 23,000 chickens died in
Ospel
Ospel is a village in the Netherlands. It is located in Limburg near Weert, lying between Nederweert and Meijel, close to National Park De Groote Peel. Ospel has been settled since 1864 as a centre for bog harvesting. Once a year in the first we ...
.
**31 July 2018: 2,500 pigs died in
Didam
Didam (locally, Diem) is a town in the Netherlands in the eastern part of Netherlands in the region of "De Achterhoek", province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Montferland about 18 km east of Arnhem, which is the capital ...
.
**23 October 2018: 4,000 piglets perished in Heusden, Asten.
**28 October 2018: 20,000 chickens died Barneveld.
*2019: 176,000 animals died in fourteen fires throughout the Netherlands.
**1 February 2019: 2,500 pigs died in Biezenmortel.
** 30 April 2019: 16,000 chickens died in
Renswoude
Renswoude () is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.
Topography
''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Renswoude, June 2015''
Notable people
* Jan Hendrik Waszink (1908–1990) a Dutch La ...
.
** 7 July 2019: 100,000 chickens died in Kiel-Windeweer.
** 15 August 2019: 42,000 chickens died in Niawier.
** 22 August 2019: 16,000 chickens died in
Nijkerk
Nijkerk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ''Niekark'') is a municipality and a city located in the middle of the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_ ...
.
** 22 August 2019: 1,500 pigs died in Streefkerk.
* 2020: 108,794 animals died in 26 fires throughout the Netherlands.
** 21 February 2020: Between 38,000 and 45,000 chickens died in Bentelo.
** 24 March 2020: 8000 turkeys died in Biddinghuizen.
** 17 April 2020: 1,000 pigs died in
Lierop
Lierop is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Someren, about 7 km south of Helmond.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1155 as Lirdob. The etymology is unknown. Lierop develop alo ...
.
** 11 May 2020: 24,000 chickens died in Harskamp.
** 13 June 2020: Approx. 20,000 chickens died in Barneveld.
** 8 August 2020: 14,000 chickens died in Beltrum.
* 2021 6,915 animals died in 12 fires throughout the Netherlands.
** 1 June 2021: 4600 pigs died in
Nederweert
Nederweert (; li, Ni-jwieërt ) is a municipality and a town in southeastern Netherlands with a population of as of and has an area of of which is water.
Nederweert lies at the intersection of three channels: the Zuid-Willemsvaart, the Noord ...
.
* 2022
** 25 April 2022: 43,000 chickens died in Heusden, Asten.
** 11 May 2022: 25,000 chickens died in
Varsen
Varsen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 19 km east of Zwolle.
It was first mentioned between 1381 and 1383 as Versen. The etymology is unclear. The postal authorities ...
.
** 19 June 2022: 7,000 ducks died in
Markelo
Markelo (; nds-nl, Maarkel) is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Hof van Twente, about west of Hengelo and south-west of Almelo.
Markelo was a separate municipality between 1818 and 2001, when ...
.
** 3 October 2022: 28,500 chickens died in
Assen
Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1809. Assen is known for TT Circuit Assen, the ...
.
** 10 November 2022: 30,000 chickens died in
Putten
Putten () is a municipality and town in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It had a population of
in . It is located in the coastal area of the old Zuiderzee (Southern Sea). To the east of Putten lies the Veluwe, the biggest national par ...
.
United States
Overview of problems
A review of news media reports from 2013 to 2017 identifies a total of 2.7 million animal deaths in 326 barn fires on American territory. This number includes 2.6 million chickens, 71,300 pigs, 34,200 turkeys, 2,600 cows, as well as 1,100 goats and sheep.
Where the cause of the fire is identified, heating equipment is in cause half the time; two-thirds of barn fires occurred between the months of October and March, when the weather is typically colder. This also explains why northeastern and midwestern states account for the largest number of reported barn fires involving animal deaths: New York (31), Pennsylvania (29), Michigan (28), Minnesota (26) and Wisconsin (23). This data is incomplete, as no reporting requirements exist for fires involving farm animals.
One of the National Fire Protection Association's building codes (the NFPA 150) covers specifically animal housing facilities: barns, but also laboratories, kennels, zoos and others. Its latest revision (published in August 2018) puts more emphasis than previous iterations on agricultural facilities. In addition to recommending detection equipment that is currently missing from most installations, the NFPA advocates prevention measures, such as training for employees, inspections and the reduction of combustibles present in and around the facilities to limit the risk of destructive fires. The adoption of the NFPA's recommendations by local government, industry and certification programs is voluntary.
Farm animals are not covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act, which provides some protection to animals in zoos and laboratories, for example.
Major barn fires
Reported barn fires in which over 1000 animals died include:
*1 February 2014: 280,000 chickens died in La Grange, Wisconsin.
*30 March 2014: 150,000 chickens died in
Galt Galt or GALT may refer to:
Biology and biochemistry
* Galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, an enzyme
* Gut-associated lymphoid tissue, a subset of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue
People and fictional characters
* Galt (surname), a list o ...
, Iowa.
*2 October 2014: 4,000 pigs died in Eagle Springs, North Carolina.
*27 October 2014: 11,000 pigs died near Truman, Minnesota.
*30 May 2016: 5,000 pigs died near
Hawarden
Hawarden (; cy, Penarlâg) is a village, community and electoral ward in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home to Hawarden Castle. In the 2011 census the ward of the same name had ...
, Iowa.
*11 June 2017: 134,000 chicks died in Hawley, Minnesota.
*3 July 2017: 100,000 chickens died in Tyrone, Pennsylvania.
*7 September 2017: 300,000 chickens died in Toole County, Utah.
*2 October 2017: 1 million chickens died in
North Manchester
North Manchester was, from 1896 to 1916, a township within the Poor Law Union of Manchester, England. North Manchester was a local government sub-district used for the administration of Poor Law legislation; it was an inter-parish unit for soci ...
, Indiana.
*14 December 2017: 6,500 pigs and piglets died in Emmet County, Iowa.
*4 May 2018: 8,000 pigs died near Frazee, Minnesota.
*1 May 2019: 250,000 Chickens died near Saranac, Michigan.