Barn rises from ashes

WARREN — Barb Clifford still finds it hard to believe that anyone would purposely set a fire in a barn full of animals.

After being the victim of such an act, however, she believes that such evil exists. She also knows that good people will still come to the aid of someone in need.

On May 17, 2005, Clifford’s father, Wade Bascomb, awoke about 5 a.m. to a fire just starting to consume the front part of the horse barn on his Park Road property in Warren Township.

The 84-year-old retired military man entered the mostly wooden structure in his pajamas and led one of the 20 horses to safety before flames and debris forced him to retreat.

When firefighters and others arrived, they rescued the 10 horses housed in an attached building, but the nine horses in the other structure all perished.

Because the barn was a boarding stable, all of the horses except one belonged to customers.

At first the cause of the fire went undetermined.

For more, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com