Fire crews were busy this morning and were able to save a lot of calves and the barn they were in in West Mahoning Township.
Indiana County 911 made the initial call at 6:32 this morning for Plumville, Dayton and Rural Valley Fire Departments along with Citizen’s Ambulance to the barn on 757 Dryknob Road in Smicksburg. Plumville Assistant Fire Chief Augie Santini said that the building on fire was a feeder barn that housed 140 calves on the farm of Daniel Kuhns. He added that 14 were dead and several others were injured. A vet has been called to the scene to help with those injured. Santini added that most of the 200-foot barn still stands, but a contractor has been called out to help open up storage areas so they can get to some of the calves that are still inside. That contractor will also help make repairs to the barn.
There were no reported injuries. Several other fire departments were called in to provide tanker assist or to standby for stations on the scene. Santini ruled the fire accidental due to a spill of gasoline in the area.
