People ran into a burning barn to rescue animals Thursday morning in Montour County.
The flames started in a woodworking shop then the strong wind spread the flames to a barn on the same property near Washingtonville.
Newswatch 16 was covering the first fire when the wind picked up and, in a matter of minutes, a nearby barn owned by the same farmer was filled with fire and smoke.
Flames ripped through the Amish wood working shop, near Washingtonville, leveling the shop and a huge barn nearby.
The blaze broke out in the shop around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. The Amish Stoltzfus family owns the farm.
"The shop started out there first and we lost all of the woodworking equipment. In fact I lost everything I had in tools and stuff," farmer John Stoltzfus.
While Newswatch 16 was at the scene a second fire sparked on the same property.
Fire officials said the strong winds caused problems. Embers and ashes flew through the air to a nearby barn which was just a 100 yards away from the shop.
Amish farmers rushed into the barn to save their livestock. At least 20 cows and some horses and chickens were in the barn at the time. The farmers said the animals made it out safely.
As for the barn and woodworking shop,t he fire spread too quickly and both buildings burned to the ground.
"The biggest challenge that we were fighting with was getting sufficient water supply. Especially in the winter months in a rural area it becomes an issue but once we got a truck back there with the wind blowing it took the fire through the structure very quickly," said Washingtonville Fire Company Assistant Chief James Roberts.
Neighboring farmers are taking care of the animals.
The cause of the fire hasn't been determined yet, but one of farmers said he believes a stove in the work shop may have caused the blaze.
The flames started in a woodworking shop then the strong wind spread the flames to a barn on the same property near Washingtonville.
Newswatch 16 was covering the first fire when the wind picked up and, in a matter of minutes, a nearby barn owned by the same farmer was filled with fire and smoke.
Flames ripped through the Amish wood working shop, near Washingtonville, leveling the shop and a huge barn nearby.
The blaze broke out in the shop around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. The Amish Stoltzfus family owns the farm.
"The shop started out there first and we lost all of the woodworking equipment. In fact I lost everything I had in tools and stuff," farmer John Stoltzfus.
While Newswatch 16 was at the scene a second fire sparked on the same property.
Fire officials said the strong winds caused problems. Embers and ashes flew through the air to a nearby barn which was just a 100 yards away from the shop.
Amish farmers rushed into the barn to save their livestock. At least 20 cows and some horses and chickens were in the barn at the time. The farmers said the animals made it out safely.
As for the barn and woodworking shop,t he fire spread too quickly and both buildings burned to the ground.
"The biggest challenge that we were fighting with was getting sufficient water supply. Especially in the winter months in a rural area it becomes an issue but once we got a truck back there with the wind blowing it took the fire through the structure very quickly," said Washingtonville Fire Company Assistant Chief James Roberts.
Neighboring farmers are taking care of the animals.
The cause of the fire hasn't been determined yet, but one of farmers said he believes a stove in the work shop may have caused the blaze.
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