March 14--SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP -- The cause of Monday's barn fire that killed more than 50 animals may never be known, fire investigators said Tuesday.
"There was so much damage; it's difficult," Saybrook Fire Capt. Jim Berg said.
When firefighters arrived at 3800 S. Ridge W. (Route 84) just after 1:30 p.m., they discovered a fully involved barn fire with the roof caved in, firefighters said.
Austinburg veterinarian Becky Salinger and her husband, Edward Cigany, own the property.
No one was injured, but Saybrook Fire Chief John Jyurovat said the family is devastated over the loss of the animals. About 25 4-H show goats, 25 chickens, and one sheep perished in the fire, Jyurovat said.
Jyurovat called it "a catastrophic loss."
Luckily, the horses were out in the pasture at the time, he said.
Traffic was blocked on Route 84 for several hours as firefighters from Saybrook, Austinburg, Geneva and Harpersfield townships battled the blaze. The scene was cleared at 6:30 p.m., but fire investigators returned Tuesday morning to investigate the cause of the fire, Berg said.
Total loss of the barn fire, with the animals, could be up to $190,000, Jyurovat said.
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