Accidental fire destroys Penns Valley barn
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PENNS VALLEY -- A Penn Township barn was consumed by fire shortly before 9 a.m. yesterday morning after bales of hay inside the structure ignited.
The call came in at 8:53 a.m. for 247 Long Lane, just north of Coburn, for a working barn fire at the farm of Leroy Shawver.
Millheim Fire Company Chief Delmer Homan said the fire started very quickly.
"Leroy was in the barn with his skid loader getting ready to feed his steers, and left the barn for a few minutes," he explained. "When he returned he saw the bales were on fire. He tried to stop it on his own, and got a few of the bales out by himself, but it just spread so fast he couldn't keep up."
The barn was fully involved when the first trucks arrived on scene, and the smoke from the blaze could be seen from miles away as the flames shot high into the air.
Approximately 20 fire companies, ambulances, EMS crews, and traffic control units, from across Centre, Clinton and Union Counties, responded to the fire, assisting in various ways.
"Leroy got the steers out, nobody was hurt, and the surrounding structures were saved, so even though the barn was lost, it could've been much worse, especially on a hot day like today," said Chief Homan.
With temperatures in the Penns Valley area reaching over 90 degrees on Tuesday, all firefighters were monitored for heat stroke.
According to the LEXIPOL public safety website, firefighters and others should take precautions anytime the heat index nears or exceeds 90 degrees. Heat-related illness comes on swiftly and sometimes without notice, especially in fire resistant gear, surrounded by burning walls.
"We set up a rehab station there to provide shade, and cold water," said Chief Homan. "We also use a fan that blows a cool mist, and we take their blood pressure and check body temps while they rest," explained Homan.
By 10:45 a.m., the fire was knocked down and firefighters on foot, along with the help of a backhoe, began to tear away the smoking pieces of tin, leaving behind a scene reminiscent of a battlefield. Only the charred black frame and a singed silo remained of the century old barn.
The fire has been determined as accidental.