UPDATE: $50K worth of damage in early morning barn fire
Published 10:35 am Thursday, February 26, 2015
A firefighter stands in the smoldering remains of a barn located on property along Highway 218 North about a mile north of Austin early Thursday morning. Both Austin and Brownsdale Fire Departments responded. Photos by Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin and Brownsdale Fire Departments were on the scene of an early morning barn fire Thursday that claimed at least one building, a pickup truck and several farm animals.
Austin Fire Chief Jim McCoy said the barn fire at the 24700 block of Highway 218 North resulted in an estimated $50,000 worth of damage as three pigs, three sets of piglets and one beef cow were killed in the blaze A truck and the barn were also destroyed and considered total losses.
Smoke billows from the smoldering remains of the building.
It will be difficult to figure out how the fire started, due to the building damage.
“It’s a pretty heavily damaged structure, there’s nothing left of it,” McCoy said.
Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi said residents at the home called in the fire at about 5:45 a.m.
Firefighters were dealing with subzero temperatures reaching minus 8 and wind chill values as low as minus 23 degrees recorded at around 7:15 a.m. They were still on the scene as of 9 a.m. Thursday. The state fire marshal also investigated the scene Thursday.
