A barn fire tore through the 2300 block of Geist Road in Baltimore County early Friday, fully engulfing the 50-by-100-foot structure and sending one firefighter to the hospital with a minor injury before crews got the blaze under control. Officials said no civilians were hurt, and all animals on the property were accounted for once the smoke cleared.
Crews arrived to find the barn, as FOX45 Baltimore described it, a fully involved 50-by-100-foot barn by the time firefighters reached the scene. The outlet reported that one fire department member was transported with a minor injury. As WMAR-2 News reported, that firefighter was taken to the hospital after being injured while battling the blaze.
The outcome could have been far worse: a firefighter suffered a minor injury, and no civilian injuries were reported. Despite the barn being fully involved, all animals were accounted for, according to FOX45.
When The Fire Was Mostly Out
FOX45 reported that firefighters had extinguished most of the fire by 4:14 a.m. FOX45 also reported that investigators were en route to the scene.
No damage estimate, cause, or details about the barn's owner or use have been released, and neither report identifies the injured firefighter or the extent of the injury beyond the minor designation and hospital transport.
Other Maryland Barn Fires
A Laytonsville-area farm had a barn fire earlier in October, where more than 65 firefighters spent hours extinguishing a blaze, according to Bethesda Magazine, which reported that a 7,500-square-foot hay barn was deemed a total loss, though no animals were inside and no injuries were reported. That outlet also noted the incident marked the second barn fire in a non-hydrated part of Montgomery County in recent weeks.
Nationally, barn fires are far from rare. A U.S. Fire Administration research excerpt notes that nearly 11,500 fires in agricultural storage facilities — barns, stables, silos and grain elevators — are reported each year, causing an average of 100 injuries, 10 fatalities and $249.7 million in property loss, according to the agency's own findings. FOX45 reported investigators were en route to the scene.
