Large Barn Fire on Highland Rd

At 9:03 pm on May 21, the Salem Fire Department received a call in regard to a “large barn fire” at 3821 N Highland Rd.

Upon arrival, a barn could be seen with flames coming out of every opening and window. Aside from speculation, the cause of the fire is still unknown.

“We have an idea of how it started, but nothing conclusive,” said Assistant Fire Chief Max Gamble. “Obviously, no signs of foul play, and there was no electricity to the building. The only things they had in there were a tractor and a fishing boat. So, our thought is there was potentially a bird’s nest in the tractor. He (the owner) had pulled it out earlier that day, and it had been sitting idle for a bit. Typically we see a lot of birds will build nests in tractors, and if you let it run for a while, it’ll get hot and catch the nest on fire. That’s what we believe the fault was, but there’s nothing conclusive.

“There wasn’t a whole lot stored in that barn, thankfully, but the building and the contents (the tractor and fishing boat for example) ended up being a total loss. Unfortunately, by the time we got there it was what we call ‘fully involved.’ There were flames coming out of every bit of it,” he said.

Despite the loss of property, no one was injured. Thanks to the Salem Fire Department as well as the various volunteer departments that arrived on scene to assist, the fire was contained and further damage was avoided.