Barnum family 'so very grateful' for support following barn fire

Jen Zettel-Vandenhouten, The Pine Journal, Cloquet, Minn.
Updated ·3 min read

Apr. 13—SKELTON TOWNSHIP — Jody Westerberg and one of her sons went to a movie in Moose Lake on Saturday, April 8, and when they returned home to King Creek Hobby Farm, they finished tending to their miniature silky fainting goats.

"We had been in a building a little further back from the barn locking up our mama goats and the babies. Then we came back to the house. We walked right by the barn and didn't notice anything happening," Westerberg said.

About 30 minutes later, when her son went to the kitchen for a glass of water, he saw flames coming from the barn. Westerberg's son, Cody, and her husband, Ed, ran outside while she called 911. The Carlton County Sheriff's Office said it got the call at 10:21 p.m.

"Whatever was in there we knew we couldn't save, but we had goats on the backside of the barn in a separate pen, so we were saving those goats and that's how we got burns was from the heat of the fire," Westerberg said.

The family was able to save seven goats. They lost 16 goats and two rabbits to the fire.

The Westerbergs travel the country showing their miniature silky fainting goats. The goats have won numerous awards, including grand champion and master champion.

But at the end of the day, the goats are another part of their family, Westerberg said.

"The biggest part is we loved each and every one of them," she said. "Everything here has a name and they all had their own little personalities — it's hard to lose your pets."

Both Ed and Jody suffered burns from the fire's heat. Ed's injuries were second-degree burns on his arms and back, while Westerberg said her forehead looks like she got a bad sunburn.

Of the goats they saved, five moved up the road temporarily to Westerberg's parents' property, while the other two stayed at King Creek Hobby Farm.

Since the fire, Westerberg said the community has shown up in full force.

"We've had a lot of friends and support. The community has really pulled together — it's been amazing. Helping us with hay and feed, things like shovels and rakes and that sort of deal. It's helped a lot," she said.

Officials don't know what started the blaze, but Westerberg said authorities told her they think it was electrical. Fire departments from Barnum, Blackhoof, Carlton, Kettle River, Mahtowa and Moose Lake responded to the scene, the sheriff's office said.

"We had six large round bales stored in there, and in order to make sure to get those extinguished, they had to rip apart the sides of the building with the excavator, so that destroyed everything — there's no way to really pinpoint it," she said.

The family got the OK from their insurance adjuster to start cleaning up, but it will take time before they can rebuild. Spring road restrictions will limit when heavy equipment can get to their property.

And they're still trying to process what happened, Westerberg said.

"All of our immediate needs have been met," she said. "Everybody has pulled through and brought us things that we need to continue to tend to the animals that are here — we're good on that aspect. Family, friends and community pulled together. Like I said, we're so very grateful."