Firefighters battled a barn fire for hours in the far reaches of western North Carolina on Monday.
The blaze broke out around 2:15 p.m. on 3 Top Road in the Todd community, Ashe County fire marshal Josh Steelman said.
Steelman initially said about 200 round bales of hay were in the barn when the fire started, but later adjusted that estimate to 1,000 bales. He said the large volume of hay caused the flames to quickly spread to an adjacent storage trailer.
Once at the barn, Steelman said strong winds made fire suppression “difficult and strenuous.”
Three fire departments were initially called to the scene before two more came later to provide more resources and manpower. Firefighters were at the scene for five hours before members of the Todd Volunteer Fire Department stayed for overnight fire watch.
The fire marshal said the blaze was sparked by an electrical malfunction inside the barn. He did not say if anybody was hurt.
