Overview
- Late on Thursday night a lightning strike reportedly hit the barn roof and set a roughly 300-square-meter structure on fire, according to police and local reports.
- Neighbors and farmers, supported by firefighters, led 28 cattle out of an attached stall to a nearby empty stable while four calves were found dead and no people were injured.
- About 350 emergency personnel fought the blaze for several hours and had to pump water from the Wörnitz river over long hose lines because local hydrants were not available.
- The barn’s roof and gables suffered severe fire damage, one gable collapsed, a second is slated for demolition by excavator, and initial material losses are estimated at several hundred thousand euros.
- Crews finished main firefighting and are doing salvage and structural checks today, with the rescued animals sheltered on neighboring property and investigators confirming the lightning cause.