McLean barn burns near Willard

Structure full of equipment, investigation of cause underway
 
A 7,500 square-foot barn at the Lee McLean Ranch near Willard was destroyed in a fire on Sunday, July 25.
Firefighters from the Willard Fire Protection District (FPD) fought the blaze after it was called in at around 7:30 p.m.
“We had crews there until about 11 p.m. (Sunday) night, and then they went back again (Monday) morning to assist with the investigation, trying to determine the cause,” said Ken Scott, chief of the Willard FPD.
Several fire protection districts from the surrounding area came on scene to provide mutual aid in putting out the flames, including Brookline, Bois D’Arc (and) Ash Grove.
“Everyone helped with manpower and water supply,” Scott said.
No one was hurt in the blaze, but Scott said the barn, which was filled with a large variety of equipment, was “a 100-percent loss.”
“The building was full of machinery,” he said. “There were tractors, four wheelers, lawn mowers, welders,
lots of tools and equipment, but there was no one in the building.”
Scott said diesel fuel and other combustible fluids contributed to the fire’s intensity.
“(The blaze was) fueled by hydraulic fluids that were for the tractor, and diesel fuel and stuff like that,” he
said, adding that the monetary loss of the barn and equipment would “be in excess of $100,000.”
The fire is under investigation by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. The Commonwealth will provide
further coverage on this matter as more information becomes available.