MANSFIELD- What started as a round hay bale fire soon turned into hay bales on fire inside a two story barn located at 3260 Ore Bed Road in Richmond Township on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
The barn fire was reported around 6:15 PM and by 6:19 PM Mansfield Hose Company and the Blossburg Fire Department were responding to the blaze.
Due to incoming reports Mansfield fire personnel requested an engine and tanker units from Wellsboro.
Mansfield fire personnel arrived on scene around 6:27 PM and the 50 x 100 ft barn was already fully engulfed in flames and had partially collapsed.
Firefighters arriving first on scene immediately went to work on protecting another building close the burning barn. Another crew went to work on getting water on the barn blaze.
Soon Penelec was requested as a live power line came down during the fire and a tanker from Middlebury Township Volunteer Fire Department were next to respond to the scene.
A water fill site was set up at a large pond located at the intersection of Ore Bed Road and Sumner Road
Firefighters were able to knock down the fire by 6:50 PM. However, they continued to fight multiple burning large round hay bales, along with the flames of the collapsed burn.
Shortly after 7:00 PM the fire was brought under control and an excavator was being brought in to help tear apart the large round bales of hay that were still burning. The excavator arrived on scene just before 7:30 PM and soon the round bales were being torn apart and extinguished by firefighters.
Although the fire was reported out at 8:52 PM, after crews battled the blaze for 2 hours and 15 minutes, most firefighters remained on scene for another half hour.
All remaining fire units were cleared by 9:23 PM and headed back to their stations.
Around 12:30 AM Mansfield Hose Company and Blossburg units were dispatched to the same location due to a flair up at the barn fire scene caused by winds. Blossburg units were quickly recalled, as Mansfield units handled extinguishing the rekindled fire.
The burning barn debris was finally put out by 2:07 AM on Thursday morning.
This is a news report from our media partners at First News Now