We stepped out of the house to go to town , and as we backed out of the driveway we noticed a lot of smoke rising near the neighbor's (Steve and Mary Ann VanClief) house.

We had set out to photograph a scenic frozen waterfall in the Munday country with our new digital camera, but decided to investigate the smoke source.

It turned out that their barn was on fire. Fortunately, all that was destroyed was the barn and a bunch of "treasures" that had been stored there.

the cattle were outside devouring a round bale of hay. Nearby the hog barn (hogs inside) escaped untouched by the flames courtesy of the wind blowing the right direction, according to a local observer.

The fire rages out of control

Livestock remained safe

Elizabeth-Wirt VFD on scene

The Elizabeth-Wirt Volunteer Department responded in a timely fashion and made their usual prompt and professional effort to extinguish the blaze, but the fire raged out of control by the time they arrived.