Photo by James Short.
The fire response included multiple Montgomery County fire stations and one Bucks County tanker
An 18th-century barn and a house at Yoder Farm Market on Cowpath Road were completely destroyed by a fire early Tuesday morning in Franconia Township and all people and animals safely escaped the fire.
Multiple fire crews from Montgomery County and a tanker from Trumbauersville Fire Co. in Bucks County were dispatched to the fire at 1:01 a.m. at 761 Cowpath Road.
By 1:15 a.m., fire officials had requested five additional tankers to fight the blaze, according to reports on Emergency Alerts of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Facebook page.
Responding units included Franconia Township Police, multiple trucks from Telford Fire Co. and Tylersport Fire Co., Harleysville Fire Co., Perseverance Fire Co. of Souderton, Skippack Fire Co., Upper Salford Fire Co., Towamencin Volunteer Fire Co., and Green Lane Fire Co.
By James Short A citizen named Leah Molyneaux posted on the Montco/Bucks Incident Facebook page Tuesday morning that her mom lived at the property, and everyone was safe and uninjured.
Jake Yoder, the son of property owners David and Maryjane Yoder, said he was displaced from the house and was the only occupant.
"The barn was hauled here in 1990 from a farm down the road," Yoder said.
Yoder said he lost 10 tons of field corn in the barn fire.
"I lost everything I own," he said. "It is what it is."
Yoder said the fire was an electrical fire, possibly caused by a space heater or a faulty outlet. He said an insurance adjuster will be out to assess the total loss of the buildings.
"I hope to put up another barn in its place," he said.
The fire was located near Forrest Road and Green Hill Road, according to Montgomery County emergency dispatch.
