Firefighters and members of the Office of the Fire Commissioner investigate the scene of a dairy farm fire north of La Broquerie. (Jason Halstead, QMI Agency)

RM OF STE. ANNE, Man. - Fire destroyed a family dairy farm north of La Broquerie Monday evening.

The blaze started just before 6 p.m. and quickly swept through Haussemmann and Sons Ltd. Dairy Farm, killing all of the operation's 480 milk cows.

Rudolf Haussemmann, who runs the farm with his parents and brother, said he estimates damage from the fire at $10 million.

"It's tough, it's emotional," said Haussemmann, who lives on the same lot as the dairy operation.

The family started the operation 28 years ago with 40 cows.

Firefighters and an excavator worked at the scene Tuesday as members of the Office of the Fire Commissioner worked to ascertain the cause of the blaze.

"We're still trying to figure out what happened," Haussemmann said. "They figure it started in the main housing barn where the cattle stay when they aren't milked."

He said it may have started in a light or fan in the building. RCMP said the cause does not appear suspicious in nature.

Haussemmann said his brother Werner first found the fire after he noticed smoke coming from the farm about 14 km east of Steinbach in the RM of Ste. Anne.

"It rose quickly," Haussemmann said of the blaze. "Within 10 minutes the first barn was already totally down and the rest of the buildings, it took about half an hour or 45 minutes to burn everything down."

Several local fire departments were able to extinguish the blaze, which still smouldered in spots Tuesday.

Thirty small calves were saved, but the operation lost all of its five buildings, including cow and calf barns, feed rooms and milking facilities.

The operation is insured, so Haussemmann said his family will try to rebuild once the wreckage is cleared.

jason.halstead@sunmedia.ca