(Publisher’s note: There were no injuries reported.)
An about 8 a.m. fire on Monday morning, Aug. 12, destroyed a medium-sized barn and all the structure’s contents on Pierce Road near Garvey in Sylvan Township.
Chelsea Are Fire Authority Chief Jim Payeur said the barn was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived about six minutes after the call came in.
“It was a defensive fire,” he said Tuesday morning, and there were trucks and other equipment that “were exposed” but firefighters were able to save them.
In addition, a hydraulic cylinder exploded he said, explaining that when a cylinder of this type is heated, everything expands and gets to a stress point and then it explodes.
“The piston in the cylinder went up, rather than sideways, and landed on the building,” he said, adding that had it exploded sideways, it may have hit firefighters or other people in the immediate area.
Fire inspectors were on the scene yesterday and plan to go back today as they try to determine the cause.
Payeur said neighbors told firefighters that they saw and heard a flash at the same time and then saw smoke.
“Apparently,” he said, “It was caused by lightning, but that’s yet to be determined.”
Payeur said both Dexter and Manchester fire departments were also on the scene.
The barn was located near the railroad tracks, Payeur said, about 1,000 feet off the road.
