More victims of farm fires - 1,200 to be exact

Another fire burned down a farm in Ontario - this one in the the small town of Arkona. This time, 1,200 pigs perished in the flames. By the time the firefighters from Arkona and Thedford arrived, most of the barns had burned to the ground. Fire crews were able to save about 500 pigs. Thankfully, no one in the family of four that lived on the farm was hurt. As Arkona's fire chief, Jim Sisler, noted: "One was a 100-year-old, two-storey barn with straw up above. [The fire] got up above in the straw and spread quickly." (Source.)

These kinds of fires have been an ongoing problem in Canada. If you get a chance, have a look at my column from The Waterloo Region Record on factory farm fires. These kinds of blazes have destroyed tens of thousands animals - by now, more than 100,000 in 2010 alone - across Canada. These poor souls die horrific deaths in these fires. This Blog Entry is not intended to condemn the poor family that suffered this tragic loss. It is, rather, intended to highlight an acute problem in this country that has claimed the lives of countless animals in one of the most painful and ghastly ways you can possibly imagine. This is what happens when animals are reduced to commodities, when they're turned into goods, to be bought, sold and slaughtered, without any regard for their feelings, without any concern for the pain and suffering they feel. Expect these kinds of fires to continue, even on farms where animals are treated decently. These fires represent one of many possible tragic outcomes when pigs are turned into products - things - measured on profit and loss statements.