No people were hurt in the blaze that occurred Friday.
By Samantha C. DePoy
Staff Writer

NEW PORTLAND – A family’s beloved farm animals were killed when a fire ripped through a small barn on Middle Road on Friday night.

No one was injured in the fire at the home of Curtis Dustin, but killed in the blaze was one sow pig and her 12 piglets, who were born about five weeks ago. Two sheep, both pregnant, were also killed, as was a dog.

Several of the family’s cows may have also died, said New Portland Assistant Fire Chief Kendall Knowles.

“They were pretty well shook up,” he said of the family, who raised animals for fun.

Dustin had apparently looked out the window and noticed that a small mostly-wooden makeshift barn about 100 feet from the house was on fire, Knowles said.

Dustin was home with his wife and a visiting granddaughter and rushed out to the 10- by 25-foot barn to free the animals inside. He opened the door but was overcome by flames and was unable to get inside.

When firefighters arrived, the barn was fully engulfed, Knowles said. It went down by 8:30, he added. “It was very, very fast. Once it got going, it just went down incredibly fast,” Knowles explained.

In addition to New Portland’s volunteer department along with their two engines and a tank truck, mutual aid came from Kingfield and Highland Township.

In all, there were about 25 firefighters on scene. Their goal was to keep the fire contained and to cleanup.

The scene was cleared around 9:30 p.m.

Knowles noted it had snowed earlier that day and Middle Road was muddy. It was slow going to get to the home, which sits about a mile and a half in from the paved road, he said.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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