An early morning fire destroyed a barn on Highway 97 at Lac la Hache on Jan. 26.
Area resident Ken Mills says he was one of the first people on site before fire crews arrived.
The whole building was burning by then with incredible flames that were shooting some 70 feet in the air, Mills says, adding he could feel the intense heat on his face from the roadside.
“Then, there was a huge explosion. I was standing right at the road on the driveway and all of a sudden, ka-boom, off it went.”
Lac la Hache Volunteer Fire Department (LLHVFD) chief Terry Murphy says the call came in at 6:20 a.m., and upon their arrival, crews found the large structure was fully engulfed.
Eleven LLHVFD members attended the scene and were backed up by mutual aid provided by seven Greeny Lake firefighters and another three 108 Mile firefighters.
“We had it knocked down and under control within about half an hour [and then] we were in clean-up mode on the hot spots.”
He adds the house was not damaged, as it was located well away from the barn.
“Nobody was injured, but some livestock was lost. They also lost a tractor and a couple of quads.”
Murphy notes the homeowners also had some hay in the barn for the animals, but it wasn’t a lot, as they had their winter hay supplies stored in a separate outbuilding.
The property was located in the 3300-block of Highway 97 about 10 kilometres north of the village centre.
Lac la Hache Engine 11 was back at the hall at 10:30 a.m., Murphy says.