HOLDEN — Extinguishing a fire in a farm silo is no easy task.
“The silo is still burning. We are drenching it twice a day, which seems to be slowing it down,” the Lilac Hedge Farm crew said Dec. 14, a week after the fire started in the feed storage silo.
Doors that had burned off were replaced, reducing the amount of oxygen that is getting in to fuel the fire.
“Site work for the bunk silo is moving along quickly,” the farm reported, with a load of pre-cast concrete bunk walls from Pennsylvania adding to the effort.
“Our entire team is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support that we have received since folks have heard about the silo fire,” manager Heidi Cooper said on behalf of owner Ryan Mackay, who has been busy managing the response and rebuilding efforts.
Coordinating labor and deliveries, machinery, moving animals, and other efforts, MacKay and staff are working to rebuild storage facilities for the winter feed. The crisis will lessen once animals can go to pasture in the spring, but in the meantime they rely on stored feed, such as hay harvested from the farm’s other locations.
“Not only has the Holden Fire Department been helpful, but we are incredibly thankful to our farmer friends in the area (the family at Jordan Dairy Farm and Jim Dunn of Hillside Farm, to name a couple) who have helped us to coordinate logistics to get some of our feed home from remote fields,” Cooper said.
“At this time the work that needs to be done is primarily skilled labor, with specific machinery and equipment, so we are thankful to have those connections that are already at work for us.”
People have stepped up to help, Cooper said.
“The financial donations that people have made, the gift cards they have purchased, and the extra shopping people are doing at our farm are helping us plan our next steps to secure food for the animals,” Cooper said.
“We look forward to hosting a couple of fundraisers on the farm in early 2023 when we are able to bring those together, so we’ll announce some of those plans after the holidays.”
The farm is still operating, and the shelves at the Rutland location’s store on Wachusett Street are still stocked, including meats and a full range of items, for customers seeking local farm products.
“We truly appreciate all the support and words of encouragement.”
