LITCHFIELD, Minn. - Twenty sows and an undetermined number of piglets perished in a fire that destroyed a barn in Manannah Township Monday night.
The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was reported at 11:20 p.m. at a farm owned by Mark Ruhland. Ruhland told the Sheriff’s Office that the barn contained 20 farrowing sows, an unknown number of piglets and 1,000 bales of straw.
The fire, which was contained to the barn, may have been started by a heat source, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Although the fire doesn’t appear to be suspicious in origin, the state fire marshal’s office was contacted to continue the investigation.
Firefighters with the Eden Valley, Watkins and Litchfield fire departments were on the scene to put out the fire.
The value of the loss has not been determined yet.
