Goats die in one of two barn fires on Ballahack Road in Chesapeake
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) β Multiple goats died in one of two barn fires on Ballahack Road Friday, an official with the Chesapeake Fire Department said.
About 40 goats were housed in a barn owned by Hidden Acres Ranch in the 1800 block of Ballahack Road that caught on fire Friday evening, but Capt. Steven Bradley, an assistant fire marshal and public information officer with the Chesapeake Fire Department, said that "most of the animals did not survive the fire."
That was the second of two barn fires on Ballahack Road Friday evening, as the first one happened in the 800 block around 8:09 p.m. Navy Regional Engine 35 arrived at 8:15 p.m. to find a 100-foot-by-100-foot barn heavily involved in flames. Crews were able to bring that fire under control in just under 30 minutes. Capt. Steven Bradley, an assistant fire marshal and public information officer with the Chesapeake Fire Department said there were no injuries, and the barn was unoccupied at the time.
He said it's believed that the barn was primarily used for hay storage.
The barn fire at the Hidden Acres Ranch happened at 8:56 p.m., and when Ladder Company 5 arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames visible from the street, and firefighters stretched lines to the rear of the property and started a defensive attack on the fully-engulfed barn.
That fire was brought under control in about an hour.
Both fires happened in a rural, largely agricultural area of southern Chesapeake known for two-lane roads and farm land.
Firefighters remained on the scene working to overhaul the structures and put out lingering hot spots, Bradley said.
The Chesapeake Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of both fires, but at this time, Bradley said there's no evidence to suggest the two incidents are related.
The Chesapeake Fire Department received automatic and mutual aid assistance from the Moyock (N.C.) Volunteer Fire Department, the Virginia Beach Fire Department and Navy Regional Northwest Fire Department.