Cows died in barn fire – 650,000 euros in property damage in Ellwangen!

Cows died in barn fire – 650,000 euros in property damage in Ellwangen!

Several cows lost their lives in a devastating barn fire in Ellwangen in the Ostalb district. The fire, which was discovered on Sunday evening, caused immense property damage of around 650,000 euros. The owners of the farm noticed the fire in good time and were able to get most of their dairy cows and cattle to safety before the fire department arrived. Unfortunately, the help came too late for some of the animals, as [mainpost.de](https://www.mainpost.de/panorama/ostalbkreis-kuehe-denken-bei-stallbrand-sechssteller-sach Schaden-109971401) reports.

The fire department was on site with 13 vehicles and around 80 emergency services and was able to prevent the flames from spreading to an adjacent residential building. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing. The follow-up extinguishing work lasted until the early hours of the following Monday morning, as swr.de reported.

A well-known problem: stable fires in Germany

Unfortunately, barn fires are not uncommon in Germany. Every year, over a hundred thousand animals are harmed as a result of such incidents. Modern animal husbandry often focuses on cost-effective mass farming, although fire protection is usually neglected. The causes of these fires are diverse and range from technical defects to short circuits to summer heat or even arson. Many stable fires could be prevented through regular maintenance and safe storage of flammable materials, according to the Albert Schweitzer Foundation.

The Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Husbandry Ordinance stipulates that health risks to animals must be ruled out. But in reality, many barn structures fail quickly in fires and mean that animals cannot be rescued in time. Often even rescued animals have to be euthanized due to burns or smoke poisoning.

Fire protection: A pressing issue

The lack of official statistics on barn fires makes it difficult to identify and eliminate causes. According to animal rights activists, at least 153,000 animals died in stable fires in 2021. Political measures to improve fire protection in stables are making slow progress, although the issue is anchored in the coalition agreement. The Federal Council has already called for a limit on the size of animal husbandry facilities in order to improve the fire safety situation.

The sad incident in Ellwangen clearly shows how important effective fire protection measures are in modern animal husbandry. Cost-benefit factors are often looked at, while the welfare of the animals takes a back seat. It is high time for reforms in fire safety and animal husbandry to prevent such tragedies in the future.