40+ cattle perished in explosive barn fire in Mosjøen
Between 40 and 50 cattle perished in a barn fire in Mosjøen in Vefsn municipality, in the area of the Nordland district known as Helgeland, night before Saturday. The building is virtually burnt down to the ground.
The fire was reported at 3.22 am. There were between 40 and 50 cattle in the barn when the fire started, according to the police.
– A few animals have been brought out alive, but all of them have been slaughtered on site because of their sustained injuries, says operations manager in the Nordland police district, Tommy Beck, to NTB.
He goes on to say that it does not look likely that any of the animals can still be saved.
– There are still cattle alive inside the building, and we are trying to find a safe path inside in order to be able to put them out of their misery as well, he states just after 7 am on Saturday .
There were milk cows, heifers and calves present in the farmhouse, which consisted of a main building with an added extension. The construction is virtually burnt down to the ground.
It was not possible to gain control of the fire, and the firefighters say that they made a major effort to save animals from the extention to the barn.
– We were inside the building and tried to get them out, but they were not willing. They turned back when they entered into the snow, according to what one of the firefighters told Helgelendingen.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
