Heavy Loss in Coleytown Barn Fire
Lafayette Assistant Fire Chief Troy Brawner told the Macon County Chronicle they were alerted shortly before 4:30 p.m. that Dewey & Julia Swindle’s barn, located on Coleytown Road, had caught on fire and they headed to the scene.
“When we arrived the 40×60 haybarn was already heavily involved,” said Brawner “and we requested mutual aid from Red Boiling Springs, who sent nine firefighters.”
According to Asst. Chief Brawner, the estimated loss was in the thousands including 160 rolls of hay at $4,000. The structure itself was $20,000. Also, a hay cutter and trailer combined sustained $10,000 in damages.
When contacted by telephone, Julia Swindle stated that she believed the fire started from green hay combusting. “The hay had been in the barn approximately 17 days,” said Julia.
Brawner released the RBS firefighters after an hour and a half and the Lafayette firefighters left the scene at 8:16 p.m.
Those responding to the fire site besides the two fire departments were the Macon County Sheriffs Office, Macon County EMS and the Macon County Chronicle.
