Animals saved from barn fire fought in subzero temps

A MONDAY NIGHT FIRE blamed on a payloader’s block heater destroyed most of a barn at Paulus Dairy in the Town of Fredonia. Photo by Sam Arendt
A Town of Fredonia barn fire battled Monday night in subzero temperatures destroyed a pay loader and most of the barn but left about 150 cows displaced but uninjured.
An employee at Paulus Dairy, 2828 Meadowlark Rd., who was in the barn just before 10 p.m. reported the fire to owner Mike Paulus, who called 911.
They and other workers tried to douse the fire with fire extinguishers to no avail and quickly evacuated the cows from the barn.
“It was all hands on deck,” Paulus said.
The fire started at the payloader, which had been plugged into a block heater, Paulus said.
“The barn was fully engulfed by the time I got out to the barn,” he said.
“It definitely could have been worse,” he said. “Just catching the fire in the early stages and having men on the farm working at that hour helped.”
Aluminum sheathing in the ceiling of the barn helped keep the flames from getting into the rafters, he said.
Crews from the Fredonia, Waubeka, Belgium, Port Washington, Ozaukee Central, Fillmore, Newburg, Cedar Grove and Random Lake fire departments responded, as well as personnel from the Ozaukee County Highway Department and We Energies, according to a press release from the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
Fredonia Fire Chief Brian Weyker said firefighters had to battle freezing temperatures while dousing the fire.
“It was minus-7 degrees when I pulled into the yard,” Weyker said.
“It was a challenge. We did a quick attack and were able to contain it. Operations moved very swiftly, knowing that we had critical equipment in danger of freezing. Everything moved a little slower but we had a great outcome.”
Fire crews were able to access municipal water from the Village of Fredonia to fight the fire.
“The hose lines froze up, but not solid,” Weyker said.
Paulus, who milks 1,700 cows, joked Tuesday morning that he had a “skating rink” in his yard and that “we’re not going to be using that barn for a while.”
Paulus said he employs 28 workers and had five on duty when the fire broke out.
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