Firefighters worked for hours Thursday to extinguish a fire that raced through a bank barn at a dairy farm northeast of Mercersburg, according to a fire official.
When firefighters arrived at 
the scene at 10139 Church Hill Road, most of the building was engulfed in flames, said Dale Carbaugh, chief of the MMP&W Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Co.
Carbaugh said he thinks the cause of the fire might have been an electrical problem. There was old wiring in the barn and workers were making some repairs in the structure earlier in the day, he said.
Carbaugh said most of the fire, which was reported about 11:35 a.m., was brought under control in about 20 minutes.
The rest of the work involved pulling debris like a tin roof from the ruins and removing hay that was inside, Carbaugh said.
“You will never get these things out until you get all the hay out of them,” Carbaugh said.
A piece a construction equipment was brought to the scene to remove the hay and other debris.
One of the main objectives in battling the blaze was protecting a milking parlor attached to the barn and another structure. Carbaugh said firefighters were able to do that, and farm workers were able to resume milking operations at the site Thursday evening.
The farm is owned by James Byers.
Source: heraldmailmedia.com
