Working Barn Fire on the Old DeKalb Road

The tones dropped at 1754 hours for a reported working barn fire at the TeRiele Farm on the Old DeKalb Road, just outside the village. Third Assistant Chief Brian McCluskey was enroute immediately, advised that it was in the air, and to activate the Tanker Task Force. Engine 6 was enroute at 1757 with Rescue 1, Tanker 20, and Engine 8 enroute shortly there after. The Tanker Task Force request brought tankers from Morley Fire, Rennselaer Falls Fire, Pierrepont Fire, Pyrites Fire, and DeKalb Fire to the scene and a pumper, tanker, and personnel from Potsdam Fire to standby at Canton Station. Due to the volume of fire the Potsdam crew was diverted to the scene and personnel were requested from all the responding departments. Engine 6 laid 1000 feet of 5" LDH from a hydrant at the end of the Old DeKalb Road. Engine 8 set up two porta tanks and used a tanker shuttle from a hydrant in front of the nursing home on West Main Street. An aggressive attack was made using large handlines to protect the numerous exposures that were present, including several other barns and a house. A nearby calf barn ignited and was extinguished prior to it receiving major damage. All the calves were able to be removed without incident. Tower 1 was requested to the scene to set up an elevated master stream to hit the deep seated fire in the center of the barn. At that time the dump site at Engine 8 was torn down and 1000 feet of 4" LDH was laid by Pyrites Engine 91 to the intersection of SH 68 and the Old DeKalb Road to establish a remote dump site and improve the safety of responders by eliminating the congestion at the scene. At the height of the fire there were 4 engines, 7 tankers, 5 rescues, 2 ambulances, and 1 aerial operating at the scene with over 125 firefighters. A natural gas leak, downed live power lines, and the usual assortment of farm chemicals all provided challenges for the firefighters operating on the scene. The St. Lawrence County Fire Investigation Team was requested to respond to determine the cause and origin of the fire. An extensive overhaul operation ensued to extinguish the hot spots throughout the collapsed structure. Assistance was provided by the farm owner with heavy machinery to pull the remainder of the barn apart and facilitate extinguishment. Fourty-six members responded from Canton Fire and Rescue and all units were back in service at 2346 hours. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries.