Pecatonica Fire Protection District battles barn fire. Firefighters from Pecatonica, IL were called to a barn fire at 15875 Comly Road at approximately 1200 hours on April 16, 2004.
Engine 1305 was the first to arrive on scene and reported a working barn fire and requested additional tankers from Win-Bur-Sew and German Valley fire departments. The crew of 1305 found the burning remains of a small shed approximately 45 to 50 feet from the barn. Initially there was only a small amount of fire breaching the roof on both the front and rear of the barn. 1305 dropped a 5 inch line at the road and proceeded down the driveway to the structure.
Engine 1310, Tanker 1575, Tanker 1370 and Squad 1340 arrived on scene and setup 2 portable tanks at the roadway. 1310 relayed to 1305 at the scene. Firefighters laid 2 handlines from 1305 at the front and rear of the structure assisted by a deck gun.
A sagging second floor made it unsafe to enter the structure. In a matter of minutes the fire ripped through the roof and then blasted through the east end of the structure melting the metal exterior. The intense heat forced firefighters at the rear of the structure to retreat back through a fence.
Water was shuttled from Pecatonica to the scene by tankers from Pecatonica, Seward, Win-Bur-Sew, German Valley, and Durand. Firefighters were able to contain the fire in about an hour. The structure was a total loss. Firefighters remained on the scene for several more hours doing overhaul.
