Overnight Blaze Levels Lower Macungie Barn

Fire tore through an abandoned Lower Macungie barn overnight, according to township fire officials.

The blaze occurred about 1:45 a.m. in the area of 5394 Sauerkraut Lane. Fire Chief David Nosal said he could see a fireball and plume of smoke from about a mile away and knew they were in for a battle.

"The structure was fully involved," he said. "We took a defensive stance."

That included extinguishing two nearby out buildings and protecting an adjacent field and woods.

No injuries were reported.

The inability to save the barn was a foregone conclusion. "We were there about 20 or 30 minutes when the structure collapsed," Nosal said.

Poor access also was a major obstacle. Nosal estimated the 100-by-50-foot  all-wood barn was 600 to 700 feet off Sauerkraut Lane. That meant that heavy firetrucks could not get close, so supply lines and hand lines had to be run for that distance.

Nosal called five lighter-weight brush trucks to the scene to protect the field and woods. There also are two hydrants in the general vicinity, but he called in four tankers to better feed the pumpers.

"Access was a major issue, and it was fully involved," he assessed. "You couldn't get at it with major equipment, and there was nothing to save at that point."

Township resident Michelle Udicious passed the fire during a late-night errand.

"It was just blazing, fully engulfed," she said. "All you could see was the burning beams."

Udicious said firefighters already were on the scene when she passed.

"It was just a giant inferno from top to bottom," she recalled.

By morning, light clouds of white smoke continued to rise and an acrid smell filled the surrounding neighborhood as firefighters further doused hot spots at 9:30 a.m.

Nosal was not immediately sure of the barn's owner. He believed the structure has been unused for decades, and he did not believe their was anything significant stored inside, although he could not be certain because of the total destruction.

Township Fire Marshal George Caldarelli said he could not immediately determine the cause. He said he was not classifying the fire at this point, but noted there is no electric that serviced the barn. He added that it appears to be abandoned, so it had not recently been used. His investigation is continuing throughout the day, and he has asked for assistance from a state police fire marshal.

Those assisting Lower Macungie Fire Department included Macungie, Alburtis, Western Salisbury, Vera Cruz, Old Zionsville, Trexlertown and Macunge Ambulance.