Canton Ag Barn Catches Fire

Animals injured

On Friday, November 19th, at approximately 11:00 a.m., Canton’s school ag barn caught fire. The fire was the result of sparks from a renovation project that ignited hay stored in the barn. KMC LLC Garage Doors was cutting tin to add an overhead door. The only part of the barn that was damaged was the east side where hay and show heifers were being kept. 

Among the animals in the fire were five heifers, one of which had to be put down due to her burns. The other four heifers that were in the barn are recovering or have recovered. Two of the heifers owned by the Dowell family are recovering from their burns, while the other two took breathing treatments for smoke inhalation.

The man who risked his life to get all of the heifers out was Kevin Compton, owner and operator of KMC LLC Garage Doors, the company that accidentally started the fire, and the company that is paying for whatever damage that the fire caused. 

“It was a very unfortunate accident and we would like to thank all the firefighters that showed up to help. Everybody is recovering and everyone is going to survive it, and it was just an emotional day,” Mr. Mitchell, ag teacher, said. 

Among the equipment burned were double cattle blowers, fans, water buckets, panels, and Canton FFA banners. The Canton FFA cattle trailer also had burns on one side and will require rewiring before being used again. 

Immediately after the heifers were pulled from the barn, they were taken to the vet by the ag teacher and their owners. Also, the pigs that were in the west side of the barn were given medical attention to make sure they didn’t suffer from smoke inhalation. 

Eagle City, Canton, and Longdale Fire departments responded to the fire and got the fire put out as fast as they could. Canton Ambulance also responded to the fire to transport Kevin Compton to the hospital to get treated for the burns on his back, stomach, arms, and hands.