Fast-moving fire turns farm’s equipment shed and everything inside to ashes

An equipment shed and the tools inside were destroyed in a fire in Clarksburg, Ont., on Mon., Sept. 8, 2025.

A fast-moving fire raged through a farm equipment shed in Clarksburg, Ont., destroying everything in its path as its owner desperately tried to extinguish it.

The blaze broke out at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday at one of Goldsmith’s Farm Market and Bakery’s farms, about 10 minutes from the market’s location in Thornbury.

Co-owner Debby Oakley told CTV News her father-in-law noticed the fire and tried to put it out, but it spread too quickly forcing him to retreat and call 911.

“The smoke could be seen from the market,” Oakley stated. “It was hard to watch.”

Five trucks and 15 firefighters with the Blue Mountains Fire Department responded and, despite the intensity of the fire, they were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby greenhouses.

Still, the equipment shed was reduced to ashes. “This building houses a lot of equipment for our farms,” Oakley explained, adding thankfully no one was injured.

Oakley said immediately following the fire, the family was overwhelmed by the community’s compassion. “The messages, the phone calls, the offers of help—each one reminded us how lucky we are to be part of such a caring community."

She confirmed the family-run market in Thornbury remains open and unaffected by Monday’s fire.

“While this was a difficult day, we are deeply grateful that no one was hurt, our greenhouses were saved, and our market remains completely unaffected,” she noted.

Fire officials say the cause of the blaze is unknown, but it’s not considered to be suspicious.