Image Courtesy of Richland County Sheriff's Office
Great Bend, ND – At around 3:12 Monday afternoon (April 22nd), Richland County Dispatchers received a call of a barn fire in Great Bend, ND.
Officials say that when first responders arrived, flames were visible up to 20 feet above the structure where the fire had burned through the roof.
The Great Bend Fire Department was able to knock the flames down and keep them at bay until additional water supplies and aid from the Dwight Fire Department arrived.
Crews had the fire under control quickly.
While no one was in the building, officials say, “There were several ducks and chickens in the barn with free access to the outside, seemingly nonplussed at the situation at hand, and safely self-evacuated themselves.”
The barn sustained significant damage to the roof and rafters, though there was no significant damage to any other property.
Officials say that the likely cause of the fire was embers from a pile of burning sticks that got picked up by the wind and carried to the roughly 100-year-old roof’s wooden shingles.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public that due to the seasonal changes, dry conditions, and unpredictable weather, it is important to be extra vigilant and safe when burning materials.
The Great Bend Fire Department was assisted by the Dwight Fire Department and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.