A Hemmingford family of 12 has been left reeling, following a January 29 barn fire that ravaged a sheep barn as well as a storage garage. The fire was already raging when the family called for help. Despite heroic efforts to rescue as many animals as possible, around 70 sheep perished in the fire, including many pregnant ewes and some newborn lambs.
The Soulard family farm, located on Back Bush Road, “was the main location for all of the activities of my family,” says Jonathan Soulard, who is the second-oldest of ten children. He and his brother Alexandre run a business from the farm raising laying hens, cash cropping, and winter snow clearing. His father, Louis, raises sheep. For the last five years, his younger sister, Frédérique, the oldest of five children still living with their parents, has been working with her father to manage the flock. Recently, she and younger brother, Louis-Gabriel, introduced a second flock to the farm. In late October, Frédérique left her job to concentrate on her animals. Her dream has now quite literally gone up in smoke.
In addition to the sheep barn, a garage was destroyed which contained about $150,000 worth of tools, as well as animal care equipment, two tractors, and a trailer. The machinery may be covered by insurance, but the barn was a century old and was considered uninsurable, despite numerous renovations.
The family had been planning to build a new barn and had already purchased much of the necessary electrical and plumbing equipment; however, this too was destroyed by the flames. The damage is estimated at around $500,000.
“It is a big loss,” says Soulard. “It is financial, but it is more than that,” he adds, explaining that his sister’s flock had been part of a herd management program to eliminate certain diseases. As she is one of very few breeders in Quebec in this program, the loss represents a huge setback. The status of her flock also complicates the situation as the family searches for a way to keep her dream alive, because sheep from her closed herd cannot be boarded with any other breeders’ sheep without risking contamination.
The family has temporarily relocated the surviving sheep to another barn that is already full of animals, and the situation is not ideal. “It is so tight,” says Soulard, explaining it is not safe for lambing ewes, and it would be especially dangerous for newborns. “The mothers and babies need to be separated from the flock,” he says, noting extra equipment stored in the barn has been removed and temporary pens are being assembled. The family hopes to rebuild as quickly as possible.
To help his family, Soulard has turned to social media and the crowd-funding platform GoFundMe. “It is really a family tragedy,” he laments. “My wish is to see my father and my sister’s project get back on track … I’m so glad that no one was hurt,” he adds, but admits it has been very hard on everyone.
The GoFundMe campaign has already raised almost $43,000, with donations and encouragement coming in from across Quebec and as far away as Alberta. The GoFundMe page to support the Soulards as they rebuild can be found online at https://gofund.me/f750d8fc.