Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.
A Jefferson County family has lost their barn but nearly lost much more during a fire on Monday, May 18.
At 1:18 p.m., Jefferson County Fire Rescue (JCFR) received a call regarding a barn fire on Waukeenah Highway. Several minutes later, at 1:26 p.m., firefighters arrived on the scene, to find a barn that was completely engulfed in flames.
The barn, owned by Steve McClellan, was a part of the McClellan Family Farm and had been used in the family's cane syrup making operation. The barn was located near the family's home and by the time that fire crews arrived, the barn was surrounded by flames that were beginning to spread onto the nearby vegetation.
Shortly after JCFR engines arrived on the scene, firefighters with the Monticello Volunteer Fire Department and Lloyd Volunteer Fire Department were also dispatched to the scene of the fire.
According to the JCFR report, the fire was being driven by winds from the south, that were furthering the spread of the fire.
Several fire engines and tankers were called to the scene to supply water to the firefighting efforts before the fire was finally controlled.
The JCFR report states that several fire hose lines were deployed and firefighter teams worked the burnt rubble of the barn until no smoke continued to show.
After the flames had been extinguished, the owner informed the responding crews that the only thing operating within the barn before the fire was a battery charger.
An investigation was conducted into the burn patterns of what remained of the barn and it was determined that the battery charger was the likely cause of the fire.
Jefferson County Fire Chief Derrick Burrus estimates that the fire consumed $100,000 in losses due to the level of damages sustained; further, the family did not have insurance placed on the building.
No one was injured in the fire and the quick response from the county's firefighting agencies prevented the fire from spreading to other nearby buildings.
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