Parts from hogs that police say were severely neglected remained strewn in the yard of a southern Manitoba farm on Monday. (CBC)

A hog barn at the centre of an investigation by Manitoba's chief veterinarian officer was the scene of a fire Wednesday.

Fire crews were called around 1:30 a.m. to the barn, located near Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in the Rural Municipality of Lorne.

The fire caused extensive damage to the barn, which RCMP believe was vacant at the time.

The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner is on scene assisting with the investigation into the cause.

Severe neglect

RCMP have confirmed it is the same barn where hundreds of hogs were found dead and decomposing last Friday.

As many as 500 dead animals were taken out of the barn and a further 160 had to be put down, veterinary officials said on Monday.

More than 2,000 were rescued, but some were very sick, officials said.

RCMP call it a case of severe neglect and are investigating it along with the chief veterinarian officer.

A nearby neighbour, Joelle Desrochers, said she now realizes something was seriously wrong. About a month ago, she said the air was filled with a terrible stench.

"I heard those pigs screaming at night," Desrochers said.

"And I never really thought of it that much. I just assumed that, 'maybe he's got a batch of whiney pigs or maybe that's just what they do.'

But after it all happened, I realize now that it wasn't normal to hear pigs screaming like that all night," she said.

Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes is located about 100 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.