Dozens of day old calves rescued from burning barn

Despite most of the barn going up in flames, firefighters say it could have been much worse as 40 to 50 other calves managed to escape unscathed.

The inferno was spotted by a passerby who alerted Lancaster Fire Station at around 12.50am this morning (Sunday, March 12) and two crews rushed to the scene.

Owners of the barn on Lancaster Road, Cockerham, were already trying to quell the flames with buckets of water and a hose before the crews arrived.

Crew manager Dave Gillion of Lancaster Fire Station said: "When we arrived and quite a lot of the barn was well alight but using several hose reels we managed to get it under control and put it out.

"Parts of the barn after severely damaged, as is the roof, but they were lucky because where the fire started was separated from the rest.

"The calf had only been born the day before and the heat lamp used to keep it warm had overheated and dropped onto the straw bedding setting it alight which then moved on to the rest of the barn.

"The calf is injured and suffered burns to its legs and body but there were 40 to 50 other calves which were saved so this could have been much worse."