Crews battle barn fire in Leamington

Leamington firefighters responded to a barn fire in Leamington on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. (Courtesy Andrew Baird / Twitter)

Windsor, Ont. — Spontaneous combustion of new straw is believed to be the cause of an overnight barn fire in the Leamington area.

Leamington Fire Services with help from Kingsville crews battled flames at a barn on Mersea Road 10 —between Kent Road 1 and Essex Road 37 after 11:00 p.m. Monday.

Fire chief Andrew Baird said crews were still hitting hot spots with the assistance of an excavator and a back hoe.

The structure was a cover barn full of straw and equipment. There were no injuries reported and Baird says the owner was able to remove the farm equipment in the other end of the building.

“It was new straw within the last month so most likely spontaneous combustion,” said Baird in an email to CTV News.

Baird said there was $30,000 in straw lost, an estimate of damage to the building remains undetermined.