“Devastating” fire on dairy farm in Ashtabula County kills several cows and devastates 4 barns

DORSET, Ohio (WOIO) – A major fire at one of Ashtabula County's largest dairy farms killed several cows, destroyed one barn and damaged three others, sources said.

“My husband would have been devastated,” said Sherry Comp, whose husband started with 15 dairy cows. “His grandparents built it in 1885 and it's been passed down from generation to generation.”

The Ashtabula County Emergency Management Agency confirmed that the tragedy occurred at the Comp Dairy Farm at 3015 Allen-Comp Road in Dorset.

According to Comp, there are now 2,000 cows on the farm, of which about 1,200 are milked. The barn that caught fire was also used for this purpose.

“The fire started and Jerry told me to call 911, and when I finally got there and got outside, the fire had just started,” Comp said.

“More than three-quarters of our emergency personnel are currently busy fighting the fire,” said a dispatcher when the fire broke out on Sunday evening.

Witnesses on site reported that one barn, which mainly contained hay, was completely destroyed and three others were damaged.

According to Comp, seven cows were killed in the fire, but people running the 24-hour milking operation were able to help the family quickly get most of the 400 cows in the building out.

Ohio State Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur confirmed at 3:44 a.m. Monday that more than 15 fire departments were battling the blaze, while farmers from across the region lined up to transport the cows on trucks to farms with the capacity to care for them.

“And that's despite the fact that many of them have already worked a full day!” explained Arthur. “When something as catastrophic as this has to happen, these men and women are the community that stands behind you!”

“We have people from Michigan and Indiana, which is really incredible,” said Mandy Orahood, organizing director for the Ohio Farms Bureau. “My daughter is six. She carried water for the firefighters, but it was the families, the farm families and the community that came.”

Orahood says people from other states have been willing to help because the cows need to be moved to a place where they can be milked as quickly as possible.

Some take a few dozen cows, others a few hundred.

Those who cannot accommodate livestock come with food or simply as extra help.

It is an overwhelming expression of support for one of them.

“They loaded the trucks and got them moving, and as he was doing that, we started getting more calls, 'I can take this many, I can take 40, I can take 50,' and more truck drivers were coming, so that was a blessing,” Comp said.

Arthur also praised the officers who regulated traffic and access to the water, as well as KINGS Towing for distributing water bottles.

Arthur shared that all the cows have a place to go and that the marijuana trailers were dispatched at 10:35 am.

“In the midst of this tragedy, compassion and community spirit shine brightly!” shared Arthur. “THANK YOU to everyone who is giving up much-needed sleep and so selflessly sharing their time, resources and compassion!”

Dorset Township Fire Department Fire Chief Jared Rogge issued the following statement at 12:22 p.m. when the fire was brought under control:

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