Firefighters assist battling barn fire near Fort Atkinson
FORT ATKINSON — A number of cows died or were injured in a fire at a farm in rural Fort Atkinson on Saturday.
Firefighters and engines from five Rock County departments mobilized Saturday night to help fight the blaze, which was reported around 3 p.m.
The fire was still burning at 6:45 p.m., according to Capt. Tom Gerondale of the Fort Atkinson Fire Department.
Firefighters were “in a defensive mode” as they fought the fire in a barn and several smaller structures at N3726 Ehrke Road, Gerondale said.
Firefighters were salvaging what they could, but a “significant number” of cows were dead or injured in the five-alarm fire, Gerondale said.
Firefighters from Beloit, town of Turtle, Janesville, Edgerton and Evansville fire departments deployed to fight the fire, said Bruce Hadrington of the Beloit Fire Department.
Hadrington is southwest regional coordinator for the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, known as MABAS.
Jefferson County firefighters likely needed relief because they were dealing with fatigue and suffering the effects of being outdoors in the cold weather, Hadrington said.
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