Massive fire destroys barn and garage in Massachusetts; horse rescued from barn euthanized

A fire destroyed a barn and garage Lancaster, Massachusetts Friday afternoon.

The fire started shortly before 4:45 p.m. at a barn on North Shirley Road. Heavy black smoke from the fire was visible from several miles away as firefighters responded.

When firefighters arrived, Chief Jon Belanger said they saw the fire had spread to a small garage nearby, which had almost completely burned to the ground.

A veterinarian also responded to the scene because there was six horses in the barn at the time of the fire. All six either made it out or were rescued but one of the horses had to be euthanized. Belanger said there was also “multiple fowls” around the barn but they weren’t injured in the fire.

Both buildings were deemed a total loss, estimated to be between $250,000 and $300,000. In addition to the fire destroying both buildings, multiple pieces of farm equipment, tools and tack were lost. An excavator was called in to raise the remains of the barn as the charred remains were deemed unstable and unsafe.

Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, including crews from Lancaster, Boylston, Leominster, Bolton, Harvard, Clinton, Sterling and Berlin. The scene was cleared by 9 p.m. Friday night.

No one was hurt in the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but Belanger said it does not appear to be intentional.

Lancaster is a town in Worcester County and is located about 50 miles west of Boston.