Lawn mower may have caused fire that destroyed rural Freeburg pole barn
A Freeburg-area resident lost his pole barn to a fire Thursday night, but no one was injured.
Firefighters responded to a report of a fire on White Oaks Club Road in rural St. Clair County shortly before 9 p.m.
The homeowner had been mowing his lawn and parked the mower inside his pole barn before going inside his home, according to the Freeburg Fire Department. A neighbor saw flames and notified the homeowner.
The barn was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. The mower may have somehow ignited the fire, but firefighters weren’t sure how, said Freeburg Fire Chief Hans Mueller. The mower was almost completely melted. Other equipment and the barn itself were a total loss.
Freeburg, Smithton, New Athens and St. Libory fire departments responded with their water tanker trucks because there are no hydrants in the area.
Firefighters cleared the scene by 11 p.m.
