A barn in the Town of Varick was destroyed in a fire Monday afternoon, despite a massive emergency response that prevented the flames from spreading to nearby buildings.
Seneca County Sheriff Tim Thompson said the fire broke out around 4:56 p.m. on July 7 at 683 Hahnel Road. The Seneca County 911 Center received a call reporting the blaze, prompting an immediate response from the Sheriff’s Office, the Varick Fire Department, and more than a dozen other fire companies.
Firefighters arrived to find black smoke and flames pouring from the roof and windows of the barn. Crews worked for hours to contain the fire, ultimately keeping it from spreading to a nearby residence and several smaller structures on the property.
The barn was a total loss. Investigators determined the fire was caused by an electrical short in a barn fan. No injuries were reported.
Emergency personnel remained on the scene for approximately seven hours to extinguish the blaze and clear the area. Fire departments from Romulus, Canoga, Interlaken, Lodi, Waterloo, Seneca Falls, Hector, Ovid, Oaks Corners, Fayette, Trumansburg, Junius, and Clyde, as well as multiple ambulance agencies, assisted in the response.
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