In the early morning hours of May 7, Oxford resident Ginny Benson watched in horror as a critical part of the 80-acre horse farm she’s owned for more than 20 years was engulfed in intense flames and thick, black smoke.
Normally, Benson, who breeds and boards horses at Sassafras Farms, is an ‘insomniac,? but she was ‘sound asleep? shortly before 6 a.m. when all of the sudden her brother-in-law called her to tell her the barn was on fire.
Moments later, she heard honking from a concerned motorist who had pulled into the driveway of her 3270 Barber Road farm to alert her to the fact her massive L-shaped barn was ablaze.
She called 9-1-1 only to discover this unknown good samaritan had already alerted the fire department, which was dispatched at 5:48 a.m.
When Fire Capt. Ron Jahlas arrived on the scene, he discovered the barn was fully involved in the fire and the roof was partially collapsed. He also discovered an adjacent garage with an apartment above it (where her brother-in-law lives) was starting to burn.
‘I could see the glow and the smoke from the high school when I was enroute,? he said. ‘It kind of looked like the sunrise with smoke coming out of the top.?
The burning barn actually consisted of two barns ? a three-story barn where hay was stored and a two-story barn that typically housed mares about to give birth and foals along with several hundred bales of straw.
The barns, which to the best of Benson’s knowledge had been standing since at least 1896, were connected by a shed built at a later date.
When Oxford’s first engine arrived on scene at approximately 6:02 a.m., firefighters immediately turned their attention toward saving the garage, which they did, then they went to work on the blazing barn.
‘We had the majority of the fire knocked down after about an hour and 15 minutes,? Jahlas said. ‘It was a very difficult fire to fight.?
Because there are no fire hydrants in that rural area of the township, Oxford received aid from neighboring departments in the form of tanker trucks from Addison, Orion, Brandon and Metamora townships.
‘Everything went real well,? Jahlas said. ‘It was a prime example of how multiple organizations can work together, hand-in-hand, to get a job done. That’s why we train together, so when the time comes, we’re prepared.?
Due to the economic downturn, there were no horses inside the barn at the time of the fire, according to Benson.
‘With the economy, nobody’s breeding. In a normal year, this barn would have been full,? she said. ‘All 14 of those stalls would have been filled with mares and foals. So, I guess, in a way, that was a blessing.?
Unfortunately, the fire claimed the lives of 44 ‘rare breed? chickens and turkeys and at least three cats, who were all inside the burning barn. Two cats are still unaccounted for.
The fire also destroyed close to 1,000 bales of hay.
With 25 horses housed in the farm’s other barn, Benson said her first thought as she watched the fire was, ‘Oh my God, how am I going to feed the horses??
All that hay made the firefighters? job more difficult, but fortunately Oxford resident Dan Ludwig brought over his backhoe and helped spread it around, so the fire burning underneath it all could be extinguished along with any other hot spots.
‘That saved us a lot of work because that hay will smolder forever,? Jahlas said. ‘We really appreciated his help.?
According to a report from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Fire Investigation Unit, the cause of the fire is undetermined in nature, however, Jahlas said it’s believed to be accidental.
The fire originated in a turkey stall in the southeast corner of the barn, the report stated. Electric heat lamps were being used in that area to keep the chickens and turkeys warm.
Benson told the fire investigator she hadn’t experienced any electricial problems in the barn, however, “the turkeys had been jumping up and hitting themselves on the lamp in the past.”
The fire investigator concluded “the use of a heat lamp in the area of origin cannot be ruled out (as the cause) at this time.”
For now, Benson’s going to concentrate on making sure her horses get fed and a new barn gets built.
‘That’s all we can do,? she said.
Benson is very grateful to all the fire departments for cooperating and coming to her rescue.
‘Everybody was here, working together, hauling water. They were very efficient,? she said. ‘They were very professional and I just can’t thank them enough.?