A century-old dairy farm in Gorham was reduced to rubble after a three-alarm fire Tuesday night. Gorham’s fire chief said the call came in at 8:41 p.m.
Within minutes, crews arrived at Flaggy Meadow Farm on Flaggy Meadow Road. Flames were shooting up the side of one of the barns, firefighters said.
Cameron Dearborn, who lives next door, said he was driving home when he noticed the flames.
“There was this little, itty-bitty fire right in the generator room, by the time I pulled into my house the whole barn was engulfed in flames,” Dearborn said.
Dearborn is not only a neighbor, but he said he worked on the farm for eight years, so he knows the family very well.
“I ran right across the field. Luckily all the cows were out grazing, but they want to come back in because they were attracted to the light,” he said.
Dearborn and others did their best to corral the cows away from the fire. Officials said the fast-moving fire leveled the dairy barn that has been in the Young family for four generations.
Gorham’s Fire Chief Ken Fickett said 50 to 60 cows escaped the flames, but three, possibly four cows got trapped and died.
Wednesday, a backhoe was picking through the rubble as crews could be seen removing a cow that perished in the fire. The Young family was stunned by the events and did not speak with reporters on the scene.
The family is thankful no one was hurt. A GoFundMe has been set up to help raise funds for the family.
In a social media post, they said, “We are so grateful for everyone helping hands-on and from a distance. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Fickett, Gorham’s Fire Chief, said nearly sixty firefighters from six towns helped douse the flames. An exterior electrical panel will be the focus of the investigation as they determine the official cause of the fire, Fickett said.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office is expected to send investigators to the scene on Thursday.
Source: wmtw.com
