Ledyard - Ten firefighters ran about 1,000 feet up an icy driveway this morning to help a homeowner put out a barn fire in a rural part of town.

No one was injured and a calf in the barn, taken out by the homeowner, was being treated at the house for smoke inhalation, according to a news release.

Firefighters were called to 67 Thomas Road at about 9:05 a.m. for a report of a barn fire, the release said. Ledyard and Gales Ferry fire companies responded and had to negotiate an ice-covered dirt road in freezing temperatures. Thomas Road is unpaved in that area and the rural section of town lacks hydrants.

“It was a steep, uphill grade from the road to where the barn was, and it was also a narrow driveway, so it was difficult to get the truck turned into the driveway, given the road conditions,” Ledyard Fire Company Fire Chief John R. Doucette said.

Ten firefighters with hand tools and water cans went to the scene on foot to start attacking the fire while others maneuvered the truck.

The homeowner was already fighting the fire, and firefighters joined in and had the blaze under control in about 15 minutes.

“We ended up using the homeowners’ water spigot that’s out in the barn, the garden hose and basically buckets for providing water for the cows they have in the barn,” Doucette said. “We did it the old-fashioned way.”

The fire was completely extinguished by the time fire trucks reached the scene, he said.

Damage to the 20-by-40 foot barn was confined to hay on the floor, with minor extension to the walls of one stable, he said.

“Luckily, the homeowner acted quickly and alerted the fire department,” he said.

The Ledyard fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Tankers from Preston fire departments also responded as a precaution.

d.straszheim@theday.com