Witness saves animals in Brookston barn fire

BROOKSTON, Ind. (WLFI) - After crews worked to put out flames in Brookston, what's left of a burnt-down barn sits in ashes Tuesday afternoon. But a barn's worth of animals is alive thanks to quick action by the 911 caller.

According to fire crews on the scene, the call came in at 10:30 from someone who said a barn was on fire north of Brookston, on East Chalmers Road.

By the time crews had gotten there, the caller had successfully evacuated all animals from the barn.

The Monticello Fire Department responded, aided by Brookston, Reynolds, Chalmers and Idaville fire departments.

"No department has enough men or equipment to handle, sometimes, even the most routine of fires," Monticello Assistant Fire Chief Robert Hickman said.  "What we needed here was a lot of water.  We called all our neighbors to bring their tankers with water.  So, that's a huge help to us."

There were no fatalities or injuries, however, the barn is a total loss.