July 23--A stubborn hay fire inside an Upper Bern Township barn caused nearly $200,000 in damage, fire officials said Monday.
The fire occurred Sunday at 56 Winterhill Road on the crop farm of Matt Samsel; firefighters received the call at about 10:15 p.m., said Gene Spotts, Shartlesville fire chief.
The wood-frame barn was filled with hay, which heated up inside the building, causing combustion, Spotts said.
It took nearly two hours to bring the fire under control, and by then the building and the hay were destroyed, he said.
The hay had a value of $130,000, and the building was valued at $60,000, he said.
One firefighter who had been on a ladder above the flames was treated for a heat-related condition, Spotts said.
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