Date:               07-22-2021

Case:              Barn Fire 21-24937

Authority:       Lieutenant Hope Demler 409

On Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 2:55 PM, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a barn fire, at 6405 Yellowstone Trail in the Town of Addison, Washington County. Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Allenton Fire Department responded to the scene.

Washington County Dispatch Center received multiple calls of a barn fire located at the above address. The callers advised that the barn on the property was fully engulfed in flames. The barn was unoccupied and used as a storage barn on the property.  Allenton Fire personnel arrived on scene within minutes and began fire suppression efforts.  Ultimately the fire was extinguished.

The home owner told deputies she had a rodent problem in the barn. The owner stated she decided to place a “smoke bomb” type device in between the lower flashing on the west side of the barn to try to smoke the rodents out. The owner then covered the gap in the flashing with a blanket so the smoke did not escape the walls of the barn. The owner said she did this at approximately 2:00 PM today. The owner advised after doing this she went back inside her residence. The owner said she received a call from her neighbor just before 3:00 PM stating the barn was on fire.

The barn was approximately 40 ft. X 20 ft. in size. The barn did not have any electrical or gas supplied to it. The fire was contained to the barn. The barn and contents were a total loss valued at $20,000. There were minimal contents inside the barn. There was a small 2001 pop-up camper valued at $2500. The origin and cause of the fire was investigated by the Allenton Fire Department. The Fire Chief determined that the “smoke bomb” ignited the west wall of the barn, and the fire quickly spread due to the age of the building.  

Yellowstone Trail was shut down for approximately two hours to accommodate emergency vehicles.  The Allenton Fire Department was assisted by the following fire departments: West Bend, Slinger, Hartford, St. Lawrence, Kohlsville, Jackson, Theresa, Knowles, Iron Ridge, and Neosho. Lifestar Ambulance assisted fire personnel on scene.