Investigators are looking for the cause of a fire just East of Lowville, which destroyed two barns The fire broke out about 9:45 AM at the Meabon Dairy Farm on Route 89. Fire crews had a big job putting out the flames.
Owner Doug Meabon's mother was first to spot the fire. It started in a massive metal storage barn and with lots of farm vehicles and fuel inside, flames spread quickly to a wooden barn right beside it. Just a few timbers are left standing from the wooden barn and the other barn, with several trucks and tractors inside is also a total loss.
The biggest problem fire crews had was getting enough water to the scene. At least eight fire companies from as far away as Clymer, New York and Hydetown in Crawford County helped fight the fast moving fire.
Meabon tried to move some of his equipment out of the burning barn, until fire officials warned him to stop for his own safety. "This front one here it started in," said Meabon. "It's where I had two trucks four or five tractors and then it jumped over into the other barn because of the wind, I had a bunch of hay and straw over there."
The dairy farm has 200 head of dairy cows. The barn that houses the cattle was close by, but it was spared and so were all the cows. Meabon says his maternal grandfather started the farm 97 years ago. The fire department is well acquainted with the farm, they actually visit the farm to learn about equipment and what they may need to know to fight a barn fire. They didn't expect it to happen here.
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