Livestock killed in overnight barn fire near Cornell

TOWN OF CLEVELAND (Chippewa County), Wis. (WEAU) - Over two dozen livestock were killed in an overnight barn fire west of Cornell.

According to Cornell Fire Chief Matt Boulding, the owners of the barn on 225th Avenue in the Town of Cleveland called in the fire at about 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Crews arrived to find the barn fully engulfed in flames. The fire had also spread to a nearby shed. 40 firefighters from multiple districts responded and had the fire under control by 2:30 a.m. and fully put out by 4:30 a.m. 30 goats were killed in the fire. No people were hurt and no other animals were in the barn.

Boulding said that with a thunderstorm in the area, lightning may have been the cause of the fire, but the cause is under investigation. The barn is considered a total loss.

Assisting the Cornell Fire Department were fire personnel from Anson, Bloomer, Eagle Point, New Auburn and Sheldon.