Boy, 2, feared lost in barn blaze

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] two-year-old boy was missing as fire crews battled a barn fire Friday evening on Lobsinger Line.

Fire crews were called to a farm at 1636 Lobsinger Line near Martin Creek Road shortly after 7 p.m., said Deputy Fire Chief Dale Martin, of the Woolwich Fire Department.

“Our first arriving officers found the barn totally involved,” he said of what is believed to be a dairy barn.

The exact contents of the barn have not yet been confirmed.

The deputy fire chief said that a young boy who lives on the property was reported missing during the blaze.

“We did a complete search of the whole property along with the police and neighbours. We searched the whole property and came up empty,” Martin said.

“We’re assuming the child is in the fire.”

The Office of the Fire Marshal was called to investigate the incident. Crews were still working to douse the blaze after 9 p.m.

About 30 firefighters from four Woolwich stations were on the scene, hauling water from a reservoir in the area. Smoke could be seen from several kilometres away.

The fire did not spread from the barn to adjacent buildings.

Martin said although many barn fires have occurred in the region over the years, he could not recall an instance when a child may have been a victim.

The name of the boy’s family has not yet been released. The investigation is continuing.