Animals uninjured in fire

August 10, 2005|by DON AINES

Firefighters managed to save much of a barn during a fire Tuesday morning in Southampton Township.

The fire at a barn at 2833 Orrstown Road was called in at 7:21 a.m. and was brought under control in about 15 minutes, said Jeff Garner, a firefighter with the West End Fire and Rescue Co. and the incident commander.

"The guys had an exceptional knockdown" of the fire, Garner said. He said it took about 90 minutes to put out the fire, although hundreds of scorched bales of hay still were smoldering five hours after the call came in.

There were approximately 600 bales of hay in the section of the barn that burned, Garner said. The barn is owned by Wayne Craig Jr., he said, and is about 70 years old.

Cattle and sheep were in the other sections of the barn and all were removed safely, he said.

Garner said firefighters had to lay 1,400 feet of hose from the road to the barn, and shuttle tanker trucks in and out to supply water. He estimated about 60 firefighters responded.

Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Jeffrey Sarver said the fire appeared to be accidental and might have been caused by spontaneous combustion from heat building up within the stacked hay.

"The fuse box looks good, so I'm pretty sure you can rule out electrical" as a cause, he said.

In addition to West End Fire & Rescue, Garner said units from Vigilant Hose and Cumberland Valley Hose companies in Shippensburg responded, along with firefighters from Hopewell-Newburg, Pleasant Hall, Walnut Bottom, Fannett-Metal, St. Thomas, Franklin and Friendship Hose fire companies.

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