Barn fire causes $40,000 in damage

HARTFORD -- Nine northern Trumbull County fire departments assisted Hartford Township firefighters in putting out a Tuesday evening barn fire that caused $40,000 in damage.
The barn was on state Route 7 just north of state Route 609.
Steve Moldenhauer, a Trumbull County fire investigator, said the barn's owner, James Hoffman of 4347 state Route 7, saw lightning strike it about 6:30 p.m. and called county 911.
"It was burning pretty hot within a minute of the lightning strike," Moldenhauer said.
Hoffman rescued the half-dozen horses inside the barn, and no injuries were reported, Moldenhauer said, adding that the barn was about 40 feet by 60 feet.
In addition to the barn, which appeared to be nearly a total loss, there were also about 1,500 bales of hay and a fiberglass car body inside that were destroyed.
Moldenhauer said the National Weather Service confirmed that a thunderstorm was occurring in the area at the time of the fire, so that has been ruled the cause.
Departments from Gustavus, Johnston, Brookfield, Kinsman, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, Burghill-Vernon, Orangeville, Mecca and Green assisted in putting out the fire. The last fire officials left the scene around 2:30 a.m.