Fire destroyed a barn in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor on Wednesday night, but there was a little miracle amid all the devastation when a cow gave birth to a calf.
A veterinarian at the scene helped deliver the newborn, while paramedics and firefighters provided the calf with oxygen because thick smoke made it hard to breathe.
Burning hay helped spread the flames, which ravaged the barn at 15 Niederwerfer Road.
"All our milking equipment, our feed, everything, we've lost," said farm owner Don Rabida, of East Windsor.
He said about 30 goats were too skittish to escape the fire an died in the blaze. All the cows made it out, and livestock that survived was moved to another barn across the street.
Rabida said the calf's mother went into difficult labor outside the barn before the fire broke out. When the vet arrived, flames were shooting from the roof of the barn.
The calf is healthy and safe and was moved after birth to a field away from the fire and smoke.
Local
Rabida said he plans to rebuild little by little, adding that the community has come together in a big way to support him.
"It's incredible. A lot of people have come together to help us out, a lot," he said.
A GoFundMe page is collecting donations to help the Rabidas get back on their feet.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
