On Christmas Eve, a barn in the rural outreaches of McHenry County became the pyre for three horses and a pony. As reported by WGN-TV, emergency services in unincorporated Marengo were alerted to a structure fire in the dead of night, approximately 3:00 a.m. where they were met with a large barn ablaze. The roughly 150 by 80-foot edifice was overtaken by flames, necessitating an escalation to a 3rd Alarm fire for additional water tenders and manpower due to the barn's size and intensity.
Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts, faced with the challenge of a rural location devoid of nearby fire hydrants, shuttled water over fifty miles to fight the fire. ABC7 Chicago detailed how firefighters relied on water from a hydrant located 3.5 miles away, a task surely complicated by the distance and urgency of the situation. The fire, whose reach consumed more than just wood and hay, was declared under control by 4:30 a.m., snuffed out the lives of four innocent animals unable to escape the inferno.
This incident was not marked by human casualties as the personnel on the scene emerged unscathed. This was confirmed when ABC7 Chicago reported on the sole resident involved, who was transported to the hospital for a medical condition that was not related to the blaze.
