FRANKSTOWN - Fire destroyed a 155-year-old renovated barn along Scotch Valley Road on Sunday.
The structure, belonging to Louis and Holly Sheetz, was fully engulfed in flames when the Geeseytown Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched at 4:10 p.m.
Neighboring fire departments also responded, but the firefighters' efforts were no match for the flames that created black billows of smoke that filled the late afternoon sky.
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Mirror photo by Kay Stephens
Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance personnel watch Sunday’s barn fire along Scotch Valley Road, which created significants amount of black smoke. No injuries were reported.
Within a half hour of the fire being reported, the barn shell was exposed and parts of the roof were beginning to fall.
Owner Holly Sheetz said she was grateful that no one was hurt and no animals had been in the structure.
The barn, which contained hay for animals and housing for a tractor, also included a commercial grade kitchen and a bathroom that were part of a renovation and restoration effort, she said.
"It was built in 1857 and it still had its original beams," Holly Sheetz said.
As for a value on the loss, she said: "It's irreplaceable."
Geeseytown Volunteer Fire Department's crews remained at the fire site through evening. The cause will be under investigation.
