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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Flames destroyed a barn outside St. Clairsville on Monday, but no people or animals were hurt by the blaze.
Barton Fire Chief Kirk Smolenak said the blaze, which broke out around noon, was reported by a neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the structure shortly after the property owner had left and came to the site to investigate. Smolenak added that the fire started in the front of the barn, which was constructed mainly of metal -- a factor that he said helped to retain the heat of the fire.
"It's obviously a total loss," the chief noted. "I don't know a cause. I don't know if there's electricity in there. … But when we were trying to combat the fire, there was some arcing and stuff."
The fire occurred on Crescent Road, prompting the activation of the Belmont County Tanker Task Force due the relatively remote setting and a lack of nearby hydrants.
Among the departments that responded, according to Belmont County's 911 Center, were Cumberland Trail, Bethesda, Bellaire, Brookside, Sunset Heights, Morristown, Belmont, Dillonvale, Adena, Wolfhurst and Colerain. The Salvation Army canteen truck was also at the scene to provide drinks, snacks and support for the firefighters.
"We appreciate the help," Smolenak said. "And it did kind of hit us on a holiday, so we did have some extra guys around who would be at work, so we did get out of the building pretty quick and got here pretty quick, but the end result isn't the best. But … it had a pretty good head start."
He said the Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office will send an investigator to the farm today.
