Fire causes minor damage to Brattleboro barn

Caleb Symons, The Keene Sentinel, N.H.
·1 min read

May 5—BRATTLEBORO — The fire department prevented a Wednesday morning blaze from causing significant damage to a barn at 795 Bonnyvale Road, it announced later in the day.

Crews responded to the site at 8:30 a.m. after homeowner Margaret Kluge noticed smoke in her 3,200-square-foot barn, according to Brattleboro Fire Chief Leonard Howard III.

Fire personnel raised the blaze to a second alarm and deployed a hose into the barn loft, knocking down much of the fire, the Brattleboro Fire Department said in a news release Wednesday afternoon. The fire was under control just after 9 a.m., the release stated.

It broke out when a light in the barn shorted, causing combustible material in the loft to ignite, Howard said.

He said the barn sustained minor damage and can continue serving as horse stables immediately. One firefighter suffered a minor injury during the response, twisting his knee, according to Howard. There were no other injuries, he said.

In addition to the Brattleboro Fire Department, the town's Department of Public Works and Rescue Inc. ambulance service also responded to the incident. Crews from the Hinsdale and Chesterfield fire departments in New Hampshire and the Guilford, NewBrook and Putney departments in Vermont also responded.

Caleb Symons can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1420, or csymons@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @CalebSymonsKS.