Fire at hobby farm in Kalmar Township kills more than a dozen animals

Emily Cutts, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·1 min read
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Feb. 25—BYRON — More than a dozen animals were killed Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, when a fire broke out in a shed on a Kalmar Township hobby farm.

A passerby called law enforcement after spotting a shed on fire in the 9200 block of Town Hall Road Northwest in Byron. Olmsted County Sheriff's deputies arrived to find the 20- by 30-foot shed fully engulfed in flames, according to Lt. Lee Rossman. The Byron Fire Department was called to put out the fire.

The shed was a total loss. Nineteen animals were killed in the fire, including four calves, nine pigs and six chickens, Rossman said.

Initial reports indicate that the fire was not suspicious. The owner told deputies that some heaters were running inside the shed.