Barn destroyed, livestock killed in early morning fire

PAMELIA, New York (WWNY) - A barn was destroyed and several livestock were killed in an early morning fire in the town of Pamelia on Wednesday.

The Sawdy Road fire was called in shortly after 1 a.m.

Northpole Fire Chief Joe Wargo said his company was the first to arrive and volunteers found the barn engulfed in flames.

He said it took a half hour to get the blaze under control but crews were on the scene for more than three hours putting out hot spots. The two-story barn is described as a total loss.

Four pigs and two calves died in the blaze.

Wargo says water supply was an issue as the road was very narrow for tankers and a supply had to be set up almost 2 miles away. Mutual aid was called in from Pamelia, Black River, Glen Park, Calcium, Brownville, Evans Mills, and Theresa fire departments.

“Pamelia set up a fill sight across the street from their fire station in the creek there and so we were able to get water but we had quite a few tankers because it is an old beam, its post and beam construction, heavy timber and they burn hot and they burn for a long time so we knew we were going to need a copious amount of water,” said Wargo.

The fire was put out by around 4:30 a.m.

Wargo said a heat lamp inside the barn for the pigs may have been the cause of the fire.

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