KEY — Firefighters battled a barn fire in a rural area on Monday afternoon, with the barn and its contents sustaining “substantial damage.”

The blaze broke out at 51373 Thatcher Road just east of Key and was reported at 12:39 p.m., according to Cumberland Trail Fire District Assistant Fire Chief Daniel Grady. He said the fire was called in by a neighbor who “heard a boom and then saw black smoke.”

Although the property owner lives in Columbus, Grady said the barn was rented out and had farming equipment stored inside. There was no electricity to the structure, he noted, and it did not house animals.

Grady said the roof of the barn collapsed, trapping fire beneath it so that firefighters had to dig under the roof to extinguish the flames.

“There was substantial damage to the barn and everything inside,” Grady said.

The Belmont County Tanker Task Force was initially activated, but a nearby fire hydrant made it possible to cancel the call for the task force.

The cause of the fire has not been determined. The blaze remains under investigation, and Grady said the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office will be consulted today.

In addition to Cumberland Trail, the Smith Township, Spirit of ’76 and Neffs fire departments assisted. The Salvation Army canteen truck was also on scene to lend support. Grady said the scene was cleared around 4:30 p.m.