News

Fire destroys barn near Jersey Shore

JERSEY SHORE – More than three dozen firefighters battled a two-alarm barn fire at the Troy Musser farm at 1269 River Road in Porter Township, which was reported about 5 a.m. Wednesday.

No one was injured, and family members moved quickly to get several cows out of the barn and into an open field. There was no loss of livestock.

Someone alerted the Mussers to the fire and in turn they called 911.

While en route to the blaze, Joseph Mitchell, deputy fire chief of Citizens Hose Company, received a call from a fire company member already on the scene who reported that the 40×140-foot structure was on fire.

Mitchell immediately ordered a second alarm that brought additional manpower from both Lycoming and Clinton Counties.

The barn is less than a mile from the county line.

“When I arrived on the scene, the family was dousing the fire with a high-pressured garden hose, doing all they could to keep the fire from spreading,” Mitchell said.

The area that was on fire was actually part of an addition to a much larger H-shaped barn complex.

Firefighters were successful in stopping the flames from consuming other parts of the building.

However the section that burned collapsed into rubble very soon into the fire. Flames also engulfed a living quarters horse trailer that was valued in excess of $200,000.

“We’re not sure how long the fire had been burning before it was discovered,” Citizens Hose Fire Chief Ethan Goodbrod said.

Firefighters had to stretch several hundred feet of hose to get water on the fire. A hydrant about a half a mile away provided adequate water to put out the fire, which was knocked down under 40 minutes, Mitchell said.

A state police fire marshal was on the scene Wednesday morning, trying to determine the origin and the cause of the fire.

Besides Jersey Shore, firefighters from Antes Fort, Nippenose Valley, Woodward Township (Lycoming County), Old Lycoming Township, Avis, Woolrich, Lock Haven and Montoursville responded to the fire.

Despite the blaze, the Mussers were able to resume normal operations at their farm, Mitchell said.