Close to 500 cows died in a massive barn fire in the RM of Ste. Anne on Monday night.
Rudolf Hausammann said he was away from his dairy farm for only about 10 minutes but the fire had already taken hold upon his return.
The smoke and flames were so strong that Hausammann could only save 30 calves and was then forced to watch 470 of his cows die.
"It's very emotional and hard to take," said Hausammann.
When officers and fire crews arrived around 6:15 p.m., the barn was engulfed in flames.
About 40 firefighters from Ste. Anne, Steinbach and La Broquerie responded.
Officials said the ventilation system in the barn helped the fire's momentum.
"There is almost no amount of water that can cool a fire like this. It doesn't matter if you have 20 (fire) departments here," said Alain Nadeau, chief of La Broquerie's fire department.
The estimated value of the loss is between $8.5 million and $10 million.
While the loss is substantial, Hausammann said he's grateful no people were hurt and his family's house was spared.
The fire is not believed to be suspicious in nature, said RCMP.
Hausammann and his family moved to Canada from Switzerland about 28 years ago and started the dairy farm with about 40 cows. If he decides to rebuild, Hausammann said he'll use the 30 calves rescued from the fire to restart his dairy operation.
The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner and RCMP continue to investigate the blaze.
- with a report from CTV's Eleanor Coopsammy
