$300,000 loss reported in barn fire

By Carrie A. Mizell

The riding lawn mower, motor home and round bales of hay that burned up last Tuesday when Harold Myers’ barn caught fire can all be replaced. The antique tractor Myers spent countless hours restoring will not be quite so easy.

Myers and his grandson had been working inside the machine shop, which was inside his barn on SE 47th Place in southeast Gilchrist County, shortly before the fire began.
According to a fire report provided by the Gilchrist County Department of Public Safety, the fire ignited with a spark, ember or flame from operating equipment that was apparently left too close to combustibles.
The fire reportedly escalated once it got into an estimated 2,500 round bales of hay stored inside the open barn.
Personnel from Gilchrist County Fire Rescue, along with firefighters from the Trenton Fire Department, were called to the barn fire at 4:13 p.m. and arrived on scene at 4:26 p.m.
When personnel arrived on scene, the fire was already fully involved as Myers worked to keep the fire from getting close to his home.
In all, 11 fire trucks were called to the scene as 21 firefighters worked the fire.
Myers reported $100,000 in property loss and $200,000 was estimated for contents inside the barn that burned.