by Geoff Fox
Firefighters from around the area were called to a barn fire on Tuesday, March 22 on McKibbin Lane in the Buck Valley area of Fulton County.
According to Little Orleans Fire Chief John Clingerman, the call for the fire came
in just before 6 a.m. that morning with firefighters there until around 3 p.m. that afternoon.
The barn was about 180 feet by 120 feet long that housed horses.
When firefighters arrived, the barn was fully involved, but the horses were outside.
There were other buildings, including the owner’s house and another barn, nearby but Clingerman said firefighters “did a great job” to keep the fire from spreading to those buildings.
About 50 to 60 firefighters from 10 fire stations – Orleans, Hancock, Needmore, McConnellsburg, Berkeley Springs, Great Cacapon, South Morgan, Clear Spring, Maugansville, Halfway, and Everett – and two rescue squads – Hancock and Flintstone – responded to the fire.
The squads, Clingerman said, were for fire crews should they need them and if there were any patients that might need help.
There was concern when firefighters showed up that not everyone was accounted for. However, the owner was in Tennessee and his mother was at work.
Clingerman has not heard from the Pennsylvania State Fire Marshall on damages and the cause is still under investigation.
He did say that all firefighters did well in working together and the owner was appreciative.