OTTAWA --
Fire officials say 120 cows were killed in a large barn fire near the village of Manotick on Thursday, which caused an estimated $2 million in damage.
Firefighters were called to Acredale Farms, on First Line Road near Century Road East, and arrived within five minutes of receiving multiple 911 calls around 7:20 p.m. Thursday.
The black smoke and flames were visible from several kilometres away.
Before crews arrived, Rob Lachapelle, who lives up the road, was leaving his home to swim in the Rideau River when he saw the thick black smoke.
"I ran down the lane way and they were trying to get calves out of the little shelters that are beside the barn," says Lachapelle, who began assisting with efforts to rescue the animals. "The heat was just so intense trying to get those calves out. I mean those plastic shelters were melting."