A barn fire Wednesday afternoon on Nye Road in Virgil destroyed a barn and damaged a house, but no injuries were reported. Virgil Fire Chief Adam Brown said.
Firefighters were called at 1:31 p.m. They responded from Virgil, Cortlandville, Cortland, Dryden and McLean to find the barn fully engulfed, Brown said via social media. The fire was brought under control quickly, but live power lines that had fallen in the front yard posed an extra hazard.
The home suffered heat damage and electricity was disrupted; it had to be ventilated to clear the smoke. However, the house can be occupied once the power lines and meter are repaired, Brown said.
Firefighters suspect hot ash from a wood stove had been discarded to close to the shed, causing the fire, Brown said, adding that the town’s codes office was notified.
“As we enter heating season, please be careful when discarding ashes, Brown said. “Make sure your homes have working smoke detectors on all levels, and in each bedroom or immediately outside of your bedrooms and also have a working carbon monoxide detector.”
