More than 100 cows were killed in a fire at Percy Farm in Stowe on Wednesday night.
Officials believe the fire, which started around 11 p.m. Wednesday, was caused by a skid loader parked inside the farm’s cattle barn, said owner Paul Percy.
He said the skid loader had been used earlier in the day.
The barn was a total loss, said Paul’s wife, Lee Percy. No one was injured in the blaze.
“It was all gone before anybody knew it,” Paul Percy said of the barn.
Lee Percy said her daughter heard what sounded like two explosions, then looked outside and saw that the barn was on fire.
The family was able to save its calves from the barn, but the other cows — between 130 and 140 — were killed, Paul Percy said.
He said the fire department was able to keep the family’s house from burning down.
Stowe Fire Department interim chief Scott Reeves could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Reeves told the Stowe Reporter it took firefighters until about 6.a.m. Thursday to get the fire knocked down. Eight other fire departments also responded, he said.
Milk produced at Percy Farm is used in Cabot products, including cheese, yogurt and sour cream, according to the farm’s website.
The family also runs Bouchard Farm in Stowe, which has a popular corn maze.
This wasn’t the only barn fire in Vermont this week. WCAX reported that 20 farm animals were killed when a barn caught fire Tuesday night in Alburgh.
By Thursday evening, a GoFundMe drive to aid the Percy family had raised more than $30,000 toward a $100,000 goal.