More than a hundred veal calves were lost and the building was destroyed this morning in a five-alarm fire at an Amish family’s farm in South Mahoning Township. It happened on the same farm where a home was heavily damaged by fire in March of 2022.
Firefighters from Plumville, Marion Center, Creekside, Dayton, and Rural Valley were dispatched to the remote farm on Wells Road 7:19 AM. With access to the scene hindered by a long, narrow lane and no water source available on-site, fire crews had to use a neighbor’s pond to replenish their tankers. The Schmucker family’s veal barn was fully involved by the time firefighters arrived and thick black smoke visible for miles filled the air.
Creekside and Plumville fire apparatus fill up at a neighbor’s farm pond.
The farmer had just returned to his house from the veal barn when he noticed flames shooting from the roof. A witness on the scene estimated 110 calves were lost in the fire and around 60 were saved. They were taken by truck and trailer to veal barns at other nearby farms.
The aluminum building was flattened by the fire. No cause was established and a state police fire marshal had reportedly been summoned to investigate. No people were hurt.
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