Cows, goats die in fire that destroyed two buildings at Hadley farm
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HADLEY - Five cows and two goats died and several buildings were heavily damaged in a fire at Allard's Farms and Goulet Trucking on South Maple Street early Thursday.
A metal building used by the trucking operation sustained considerable damage, and a cow barn and storage shed on its north and west sides burned to the ground, firefighters said. The fire spread to the third floor of a house at 41 South Maple St., causing structural and water damage, said Building Inspector Timothy Neyhart.
The fire was reported at 6:37 a.m. Thursday. By 10:30 a.m., firefighters had doused the remaining hot spots and the state trooper from the fire marshal's office was seeking to determine the cause.
"We're just picking up the pieces," said owner Wayne Goulet. "We'll continue on somehow."
His stepson, Paul Jordan, said, "It's devastating. We have to figure out what to do now."
There were no injuries to firefighters or residents of the house. There was no immediate estimate of the damage.
The fire apparently started in the northern part of the metal building, where animals were kept, said Edward Dudkiewicz, Hadley's first assistant fire chief.
Marilyn Iwanicki, Hadley's animal control officer, said that five heifers and two goats died but six cows got out. "They'll be a little jittery for a few days, but they'll settle down," she said.
Between 30 and 40 firefighters from Hadley, Amherst, Northampton and South Hadley responded to the fire.
Lindsey Stromgren, Amherst's interim fire chief, said it wasn't clear how the fire spread to the house. It's possible that flying hot embers from the barn fire came down under the house's eaves, he said.
David Keefe, South Hadley's fire chief, said it's also possible that the intense heat from the fire could have ignited the house.
Goulet said he was not in the house at the time of the fire.
After inspecting the house, Neyhart said that it will be habitable, but some of the ceilings will have to be pulled down. As for the metal building used by the trucking operation, its back wall was rendered structurally unsafe and would have to come down, he said. The insurance company will determine whether the building is salvageable, he said.
Firefighters were hampered by the cold weather. But there was a hydrant on the east side of South Maple Street, directly in front of the site. Firefighters used a considerable amount of water to douse hay that was stored in the building, Dudkiewicz said.
State Trooper Joseph Gura, an investigator for the state fire marshal's office, arrived at the scene and was seeking to determine the cause of the fire.
Jean Jack and Frank Meckay of the American Red Cross were also on hand to provide hot drinks and snacks for the firefighters.
Goulet has been farming in Hadley for 43 years, taking over for his grandfather, Joe Allard, and the farm will mark its 75th anniversary this year. The dairy industry in Massachusetts is going through a difficult time, with the cost of production often exceeding the price of the product.
Allard's Farms is planning to diversify by producing a hormone-free premium ice cream, and has been looking for a name for its new venture.
It is the first farm in the Pioneer Valley to plant, harvest, roast and feed soybeans to its own cows, said Bruce Jenks of Allard's Farms.
Northampton officials have been discussing the possible purchase of 140 acres owned by Allard's Farms abutting the Bean farm off Spring Street.
