This barn caught fire before dawn today in East Earl Township, just east of Blue Ball along Route 23.
A firefighter from Morgantown's Twin Valley Fire Department aims water from an aerial truck at a barn
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The barn is shown fully engulfed during this morning's fire in
eastern Lancaster
County.
As flames shot high into the predawn sky, firefighters from three counties battled a raging barn fire east of Blue Ball early today.
The fire at the eastern Lancaster County barn, used for storage of lawnmowers and related equipment, was reported just after 5:30.
The barn was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived at the scene along Route 23 at Fetterville Road, Goodville.
Before it could be extinguished, an estimated 100 volunteer firefighters from Goodville and other nearby fire departments fought the two-alarm fire, Goodville fire Chief Bryon Gobber said this morning.
The firefighters came from as far away as Morgantown, Berks County, and Chester County's Honey Brook to fight the blaze.
There were no injuries, although one firefighter was sent to the hospital with apparent heat exhaustion, Gobber said.
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. No cost estimate was yet available.
The barn is at 1551 Main St., Goodville, and is owned by Titus Reiff, according to Gobber.
Other fire departments assisting were Churchtown, Blue Ball, the Liberty department of New Holland, Cherryhill, Martindale, Witmer, Bowmansville and Martin's Corner, plus an ambulance from New Holland.
Today's fire was the second two-alarm blaze within 24 hours that drew more than 100 firefighters to battle a fire in the county.
In Willow Street, emergency officials are still trying to determine what caused a late-morning blaze Wednesday that severely damaged a 2 1/2-story home.
It displaced two people who lived in the house at 2711 Willow Street Pike, officials said.
No one was injured, according to Willow Street Fire Chief Dave Reese.
The house sustained heavy fire damage to its top floors and serious water damage to the first floor.
The house, divided into two apartments, is valued at about $235,000.
Reese said insurance officials will decide this week if the structure should be razed.
The second floor and third-floor attic area are gutted, and the contents lost in the fire were valued at about $30,000, Reese said.
A state police fire marshal could not be reached today as to whether the cause of the fire, along with today's Goodville fire, had been established.
The Willow Street fire apparently started in the attic area, and didn't appear suspicious.
"We don't think there's any foul play, but we don't know for sure," Reese said Wednesday.
A woman who lived in the house stayed with family Wednesday night, while a man who lived on the first floor was under the care of the Susquehanna Valley Red Cross.
Staff writer David O'Connor can be reached at doconnor@LNPnews.com or 481-6033.
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