Story/Photos by NIC THORNTON

On Sept. 11 2002 Boone County District 2 Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a barn fire at around three in the afternoon.

While enroute, firefighters could see faint white smoke changing to black confirming it was a working fire.

Units arriving on the scene found a barn fire with a house and several smaller structures nearby. Engine 301 was first apparatus on the scene and immediately laid its lines while others began fighting the flames back from the house and garage.

Mutual aid was requested for City of Belvidere for man power and a ladder truck and also Kirkland for tankers.

Firefighters were on the scene for several hours soaking hot spots. The home owner was not home at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown.