93 Cows Displaced In McHenry Co. Barn Fire

HEBRON, IL — No one was injured but 93 cows were displaced following a barn fire in Hebron early Tuesday morning, fire officials said. In total, 30 fire departments were called to fight the blaze reported at about 4:50 a.m. in the 12000 block of Hebron Road. None of the animals were harmed in the fire, which took fire crews seven hours to put out, according to a post on the Hebron-Alden Facebook page.

All 93 displaced cows were have been moved to a neighbor's farm "so that they could continue to be milked," fire officials said. Area farmers brought trailers to the property to move the animals and also brought heavy machinery to help with extinguishing the blaze.

In addition, local restaurants donated food to feed those helping to fight the fire.

"This fire showed the amazing things that our community can do in a time of needs," fire officials wrote in the Facebook post. "It was an amazing thing to witness."

The barn's owner, David Vanderstappen, was the first to find the blaze after waking up at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday to milk the cows, according to the Northwest Herald. He ran back to his house and alerted his wife, Katie, who is pregnant with twins.

The barn was engulfed with flames by the time fire crews first arrived at the scene.

The barn has been in the Vanderstappen family since the 1940s when David's grandfather bought it. David's dad, Jim Vanderstappen, moved to the farm when he was 9 years old and helped his dad build the barn that burned down on Tuesday. Jim Vanderstappen sold the farm to his son, David, in 2016. He said he wanted David's kids to also experience the joy of growing up on a farm.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation but is not suspicious. The blaze caused $250,000 in damage.

More via the Northwest Herald

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