A barn fire in Grand Isle resulted in the total destruction of the building and the loss of 40 cows.

December 12, at 6:48 PM the Grand Isle Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at a dairy barn located on Griswold Road. A neighbor, Andrew Paradee, noticed flames coming for the north end of the dairy barn and called 911 to report the fire.

After Paradee called 911, he went to the barn and worked to get some of the cows trapped inside barn out of harm’s way. When fire crews arrived, they discovered the structure was fully involved with fire. Fire fighters and residents were able to open doors which allowed a majority of the cows trapped inside the burning barn a way out. Approximately 40 cows died in the fire with another 140 escaping the flames.

As part of Assistant Fire Chief Joe Clark’s assessment of the scene he contacted Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit and requested assistance in determining the origin and cause of the fire event.

Members of the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit responded to the fire scene and conducted a scene examination on Tuesday December 13, 2022. The fire started in the northeast corner of the barn near a garage door that led to the manure pit. Earlier in the afternoon, on the day of the fire, a farm worker had used a propane torch to thaw frozen manure around the door. Investigators believe this started a smoldering fire that later ignited surrounding combustible materials in the area.

The cause of the fire is accidental and there were no injuries reported during the fire or during the fire suppression. The barn was completely destroyed with the loss estimated to be in excess of $300,000.