Neighbours and firefighters saved the cattle at a farm southwest of Alvinston after a large drive shed caught fire Sunday afternoon.

Around 4:30 pm, neighbours came to help move about three dozen head of cattle down Old Walnut Road to a safe pasture as firefighters from Brooke, Watford and South Enniskillen/Oil Springs worked to knock down the fire in the newer barn just meters from the family home. No one was injured in the blaze.

Thick clouds of white and grey smoke blew towards Alvinston on a heavy wind. There was a large amount of round bales of straw inside the barn fueling the fire.

Tanker trucks shuttled thousands of litres of water from the Alvinston fire station to the farm. A backhoe was also brought in to help pull the steel from the side of the barn and move the hay around to make it easier for firefighters to reach the blaze inside.

Friends and neighbours also helped the farmer remove a couple of camping trailers from the shed and remained at the home watching firefighters work and comforting the family.

At 6 pm, firefighters were still on the scene. It’s not clear what might have started the fire. The entire back end of the barn was destroyed.