Fire burns most of family farm near Aumsville
AUMSVILLE, Ore. — A family farm near Aumsville is nearly gone because of a large barn fire that sparked sometime Saturday morning.
Fire officials received the 911 call of a barn fire at about 10:30 AM. It quickly rose to a five-alarm fire and crews from 15 neighboring agencies with 47 trucks were called in to battle the blaze.
“I woke up and heard this popping sound and smelled smoke,” said Molly Mitchell, who lives on the farm with her mother and stepfather.
At first Mitchell said she thought a neighbor was burning some fields, but after learning that her family’s property was on fire she said, “all I could think of is my mom, get my mom and my step dad out of here.”
All three family members escaped the fire uninjured. Several buildings, on the other hand, were destroyed.
“Everything, everything,” said Mitchell. “It started from the barn, it went to the hay shed, it went to our wood shed, it went to my mom's garage. It got a fifth wheel, a motor home, and old house from when my grandparents lived here.”
A trailer home, a manufactured home, and a seed barn were the only structures that did not burn down in the fire.
The farm has been in the family for 97 years. Family say the man who purchased the farm in 1920 would have turned 105 today. They were supposed to get together for a family reunion in Stayton on Saturday. Several of them have memories growing up there.
“Family get-togethers, tons of cousins, all of our holidays spent here,” said Joella Coleman, a family member.
The landowners have several cattle that were not nearby when the fire started. However, they fear several cats and chickens were killed.
Fire officials say the cause is still under investigation. Mitchell and other family members believe wet hay began to smolder and eventually caught fire.
The blaze proved difficult for firefighters and wind caused it to spread to nearby fields. Additionally, water had to be trucked in from the neighboring town of Sublimity.
No firefighters were injured.