Off-grid farm loses barn in fire

Living off-grid can be difficult at the best of times, but for Marianne Pastoor and her family, a string of bad luck and a recent barn fire have made it significantly harder. On March 1, Pastoor’s barn caught fire, destroying a valuable structure that housed their meat, frozen food, and animal feed. Ten chickens were trapped in the blaze, and two of the family’s cats, which are currently missing, are also believed to have perished in the fire.

Pastoor told The Citizen that the fire started while the family was returning from a visit to a friend’s property. “We were heading back, and I saw a big plume of black smoke in the sky,” said Pastoor. “I let my daughter drive at the time, so I told her she had to pull over because we had to get back.



I didn’t know what was on fire, but I knew it was something on our property. When we got back, the shop was fully engulfed. We were only gone for about 30 minutes.

” Pastoor believes the fire was caused by an explosion of the solar batteries used in the barn’s rooftop solar panels. She also said she was nearly a victim of the blaze. “I’d set up two battery banks so we could charge them and avoid running the generator constantly,” said Pastoor.

“I guess my saving grace was that, before I went to the cabin, I had debated going into the shop to do maintenance on the batteries. I normally check their water and top them up, and I also do the oil on the generator. Had I done that, I would’ve been in the shop when it went up.

” Longtime neighbour and friend Kim Krikau started a GoFundMe campaign to support Pastoor and her family during this difficult time. “They’ve had nothing but bad luck for the last four years,” said Krikau. “Seeing the devastation of this fire and how bad it was, I asked myself, what can I do to help? This was the only thing I could think of.

” The fire’s damages are estimated at around $400,000. Since the structure was not insured, the family will have to pay out of pocket to replace the lost equipment. Pastoor estimates it will take about a year to fully recover from the devastation caused by the fire.

However, she has seen an outpouring of support from neighbours and the community since the GoFundMe was launched. In just one week, the campaign raised $1,050 of its $7,500 goal. “There’s been a lot of support,” said Pastoor.

“I’ve received a lot of messages, and many people have offered to donate horse tack and supplies. One neighbour already dropped some off. Kim and her partner Pat also picked up a battery bank for us since we lost our entire power system, and they refused to let me pay them back.

That was really nice.” If you are interested in supporting Pastoor and her family, you can donate to their GoFundMe at this link.