Cows safe after barn fire extinguished at Franklin farm
Franklin — Firefighters extinguished a barn fire at Cushman Farm on Tuesday night, allowing more than 100 cows to return safely to their barn, Franklin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Nall said. The fire caused no injuries.
The fire initially started with a tractor and spread to the structure of the barn at 393 Norwich-Lebanon Road, Nall said. The call came in about 6:32 p.m. and was escalated to a second-alarm structure fire at 6:51 p.m.
The fire spread fairly quickly due to a steady wind blowing out of the northeast, he said.
As the fire started working up to the rafters, the owners were able to help get the cows out of the barn to safety, he said. The owners and family members then helped push the cows into the field. Neighbors also showed up to help.
“It was good to see the community there,” Nall said.
Firefighters knocked out the fire by 7:24 p.m., using only water out of concern for the environment, he said.
The fire caused damage to the tractor and to the roof, rafters and side of the barn, he said. Since it was an open-air barn, there was no concern about smoke and the cows were able to return to the barn.
In addition to the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department, Bozrah, Lebanon, East Great Plain, Yantic, Baltic and South Windham departments responded.
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