A barn that had a camper inside where two people were living was destroyed in an early Sunday morning fire in rural Alma.
Kinmundy-Alma Fire Chief Kevin Day says the fire was on the Gary and Pam Hawkins property on Oak Grove Road. The occupants of the camper, that included Hawkins’ son Jeff, woke up to unusual noises and discovered the barn engulfed in flames. They escaped safely and called for help.
Day says firefighting efforts were complicated by lack of a nearby water source, with Kinmundy-Alma, Salem, and Odin Firemen all shuttling water to the scene from a water source on the north side of Salem.
The cause of the fire in the 40 by 70 foot barn has not been determined, but appears to have started in hay piled up for the horses.
The fire call came in around four Sunday morning, with firemen on the scene until around 6:30 pm.
