MOUNT VERNON — Fire destroyed a hay barn, thousands of bales of hay, cords of wood and a bucket loader early Wednesday at the Raydic Farm at 1799 North Road, which is located off Route 41.

Richard “Dick” Hall who owns the family farm with his wife, Julie, said his son, Peter, woke him up just before 5 a.m. to tell him the barn was on fire.

His son is a member of the Mount Vernon Fire and Rescue Department and was alerted to respond to a barn fire, Richard Hall said.

“I first thought it was the cow barn,” Richard Hall said. “We lost twice. Once in 1963 and a second time in 1978.”

The hay barn was fully engulfed, he said.

“I couldn’t believe how quick it was gone. The wind was blowing,” he said.

The hay barn was about 48 feet wide and 208 feet long.

There was a “L” on it where the horses took cover, he said, and firefighters were able to save that.

“Maybe 40 to 50 feet was saved,” Richard Hall said.

The horses stayed away from the fire, he said, and were not hurt.

There were no animals lost, he said, and as far as he knew, no one was hurt.

He said the only cause he could think of would be electrical. The electric panel was down at the end of the barn where the fire started, he said.

Firefighters from eight departments: Mount. Vernon, Belgrade, Fayette, Manchester, Readfield, Vienna, Wayne and Winthrop responded to fight the blaze.

The Readfield Ladies Auxiliary was also activated.

There were 1,100 round bales of organic hay, 4,000 square bales of hay and 15 to 20 cords of wood in the barn that were lost, he said.

They raise organic-fed cattle and the organic hay was for feeding them, he said.

The firewood was to be used for wood heat, and a sugar shack that they most likely won’t have this coming spring, he said.

The family also lost its water supply but that had been repaired and was running before the end of the day.

The community has come out to help, he said, which included bringing another bucket loader to the property for use first thing in the morning.

“The community always comes together,” Richard Hall said. “The fire departments did a wonderful job.”

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Firefighters from several towns battled an early-morning fire Wednesday at a hay barn at the Raydic Farm on North Road in Mount Vernon.

Firefighters from eight towns responded to a fully engulfed hay barn fire early Wednesday at Raydic Farm, owned by Richard Hall and family, on North Road in Mount Vernon.

Firefighters from several towns battled a fire early Wednesday at a hay barn at the Raydic Farm, owned by Richard Hall and family, on North Road in Mount Vernon.

A fire destroyed a hay barn early Wednesday at Raydic Farm, owned by Richard Hall and family, on North Road in Mount Vernon.