Fire captain: Woodstock barn fire kills 19 pigs

Nineteen pigs died in a barn fire Friday morning, a fire official said.

Firefighters from the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded to a fire about 1:40 a.m. in the 15000 block of St. Patrick Road outside Woodstock, Fire Capt. Brendan Parker said.

A passerby reported the fire, he said.

Fire crews found the 3,750-square-foot barn engulfed in flames, with hay and pigs inside. Some pigs survived, but 19 died, Parker said.

No people were injured.

The fire caused about $20,000 in damage, Parker said.

St. Patrick Road was shut down for about 2½ hours while firefighters extinguished the flames and investigated.

Investigators suspect that faulty electrical equipment caused the fire, but an official cause has not yet been determined.

The investigation is ongoing, Parker said.

Woodstock firefighters were aided by crews from the Hebron-Alden-Greenwood, Union and Wonder Lake units at the scene, and Harvard and Marengo fire crews covered Woodstock’s stations.