Area firefighters needed roughly 12,000 gallons of water to snuff a fire in a large barn northwest of Winfield Saturday, Winfield fire Capt. Darryl Littrell said.
Owners of the property had rekindled a small brush fire from the previous day and intended to burn a few more items when embers wafted onto the roof of the large barn. Firefighters were called when the top of the large structure began to burn.
The property is owned by David Ray and Martin Ray. There is a home near the barn but no one lives there, Littrell said. Members of the Ray family had been helping to fix up and maintain the property, which is located near the intersection of 132nd Rd. and 31st Rd.
Tanker trucks from Ark City, Winfield, Udall and Oxford were needed to supply adequate water to keep the fire under control on a dry and breezy day.
"Really in this case it wasn’t so much about saving the barn as it was protecting other structures on the property and any other properties nearby," Littrell said.
The Rays estimated the worth of the barn at under $5,000 and total damage to the roof is estimated at $2,500. The family will have discussions about whether to restore the barn, Littrell said.
"It is one of the classic old barns with the big hay loft," he said.
