TOWN OF FARMINGTON, Wis. — A fire tore through the main milking barn at a family dairy farm in the Town of Farmington early Monday morning, destroying the building but leaving all 180 cattle unharmed.
The fire broke out just before 5 a.m. northeast of West Bend. Thirteen fire departments responded — all but one of them volunteer.
Watch: Crews battle massive fire at dairy farm in Town of Farmington Monday
The blaze gutted the Guttmann family's primary barn, where they milk their cows. The lower levels were used for milking operations, while the upper levels stored straw and hay.
"So the barn that burned down was the main barn where we milked all of the cows," Alayna Guttmann said. "So, that's going to be a bit of a challenge to work around."
Local firefighters stopped the flames from spreading beyond the main building, saving the cattle and even the family's kitten — named Smoky.
"We made sure she drank some water, we fed her some ham, and she's definitely moving a lot more now," Guttmann said.
Neighbors arrived to help after seeing the massive flames. Harley Pufahl, whose own barn previously burned down, described how quickly a barn fire can escalate.
"When it gets up above the wood, it generates its own draft, and then it's just like a fricken furnace," Pufahl said. "Thank God that a lot of the neighbors have a lot of equipment."
The Guttmann family members are volunteer firefighters themselves, as are several of their neighbors.
With no injuries reported, the focus shifted to clearing debris that could reignite. Crews worked to remove as much hay and straw as possible from the site.
"They're going to spread it out on a field here," Fillmore Fire Chief Jeff Steinert said. "So if it does start up, it doesn't cause any more damage to anything."
Chief Steinert said investigators believe an electrical issue caused the fire, though the investigation is ongoing. He said arson was not the cause.
The family now faces the task of rebuilding while continuing to operate what they describe as an already difficult small dairy business.
"But we're going to have to rebuild the whole thing," Guttmann said. "And it'll only make us stronger."
"Our family is really known because we're farmers," he said. "It's really nice knowing we can have a ton of help, it's super helpful, we know who we can trust, and it's very sweet of them."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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