Call at burning Vassalboro barn is answered by firefighters from four towns
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 01/15/2008

VASSALBORO -- A raging fire Monday night destroyed a large barn containing farm equipment and tools on Dunham Road, located off U.S. Route 201.

Firefighters from four towns battled the 6:49 p.m. blaze after arriving at the beef farm in a blinding snowstorm.

"I've got a tractor, loader, feed wagon, Skid Steer (front-end loader), all the tools in there," said Bruce Kingsbury, as he stood on the snowy road and watched the barn collapse. "She's gone."

Kingsbury, who lives just down the road from the barn, operates the beef farm for owner Steve McGee of Gardiner. Kingsbury said the wood barn with metal roof and sides was about 70-by-40-feet and built in 1972.

It appeared by 7:40 p.m. that firefighters from Vassalboro, Winslow, China and South China were able to spare a seed barn to the north of the burning structure as well as an equipment shed to the south.

Kingsbury said he believed the barn was insured.

"You never have enough (insurance) anyway," he said.

He said he could not say how the fire started.

"I haven't worked in there for four or five days," he said.

A couple who own a dairy farm next door, Donna and John Fisher, also stood on the road watching firefighters yank on large sheets of metal from the roof and try to haul them away from the fire. The Fisher farm is about 400 feet from the equipment barn.

Donna Fisher said she called 911 when she looked out the window and saw flames.

"My tenant called and said there was a fire next door," she said. "We were concerned because we didn't know if we had to evacuate. Our barn is full of hay and animals."

The Fishers said the beef operation has only been in business about five years. Before that, it was a dairy farm operated by Thelma Rancourt, who still lives in the farm house on Dunham Road, John Fisher said.

The equipment shed to the south of the burning barn housed methanol until about five months ago, he said. Randy Bean had stored the methanol there but moved it to U.S. Route 201, he said.

The fire occurred about 10 miles from Augusta and about eight miles from Cumberland Farms in Winslow, according to Fisher. Dunham Road connects to U.S. Route 201 on either end, he said.

The Fishers have 180 cows on their farm. John Fisher said the seed barn to the north of the burning barn is owned by Newman Gamage of Augusta.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

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