A fire destroyed a barn and killed an untold number of chicks and ducks inside the structure Saturday morning.
Emporia Fire Battalion Chief Ryan Conley says the fire at 1834 Road E-5 was reported just before 9 am. Smoke was plainly visible as crews drove to the address, and the two-story barn was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived.
Conley says it took about 35-40 minutes to get the fire under control. Firefighters stayed on scene for better than two hours to clean up hot spots and begin the investigation. The cause and origination point are currently unclear. No people were hurt.
Lyon County Rural, or District 4, led the firefighting effort. The fire happened when several Lyon County fire departments were conducting a training session, but firefighters from Allen-Admire, Americus and Olpe came to the scene to assist.
Separately, Emporia Fire handled a small grass fire that developed in the 1800 block of Road R on Saturday afternoon. The fire burned between 7-10 acres. The cause is to be determined.
Emporia Fire was also called to douse what was originally noted as a grass fire near the junction of Kansas Highway 99 and Road 150. Battalion Chief Tony Fuller says the actual issue was a box of trash that was set on fire. No other items were damaged. An investigation is ongoing.
9:10 am Saturday: Structure fire reported west of Emporia
Emporia firefighters are dealing with a reported structure fire west of the city Saturday morning.
Fire crews were dispatched to the 1800 block of Road E-5 shortly before 9 am. Early indications are a barn caught fire.
Details are pending. KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates.
