OWASCO - An accidental welding spark ignited the blaze Saturday night that destroyed Lamar Witmer's hay barn on Melrose Road, according to Assistant Owasco Fire Chief Travis Poole.
Poole said the worker was moving around the barn as he worked and took some precautions, like covering the hay with tarps, but it appeared a spark slipped under one of the tarps and began smoldering.
The fire, which was fully involved eight minutes after the fire department received the call, destroyed the entire 60-by-240 foot structure, and most of the contents - about $100,000 worth of hay and straw.
The barn was built this spring and at the time of the fire, wasn't completed.
The salvaged items included a utilities shed and a welder's pump, along with a few tools scattered inside the barn.
A family member said the rest of the season's hay will be stored in some of their older barns by hand. Since the barn was not insured, the Mennonite family member said they will be getting financial and physical assistance from other area Mennonites in rebuilding the barn.
Tim Holbein, a welder who had been working on the barn, said his biggest fear was put at ease when learning the eight Witmer children were not near the barn at the time of the fire.
He said the storage area created an ideal play area for the children where hay would often tower beyond 10 feet. Holbein said that in one particular spot in the barn there was a cavity surrounded by mountains of hay. "Had they been in there during the fire, it would have been awful," he said.
The fire, which was fully involved eight minutes after the fire department received the call, destroyed the entire 60-by-240 foot structure, and most of the contents - about $100,000 worth of hay and straw.
The barn was built this spring and at the time of the fire, wasn't completed.
The salvaged items included a utilities shed and a welder's pump, along with a few tools scattered inside the barn.
A family member said the rest of the season's hay will be stored in some of their older barns by hand. Since the barn was not insured, the Mennonite family member said they will be getting financial and physical assistance from other area Mennonites in rebuilding the barn.
Tim Holbein, a welder who had been working on the barn, said his biggest fear was put at ease when learning the eight Witmer children were not near the barn at the time of the fire.
He said the storage area created an ideal play area for the children where hay would often tower beyond 10 feet. Holbein said that in one particular spot in the barn there was a cavity surrounded by mountains of hay. "Had they been in there during the fire, it would have been awful," he said.
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