Fire destroys northern Indiana barn, kills about 240 calves

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. (AP) - A fire that swept through an Amish family's livestock barn in northern Indiana killed more than 200 calves, fire officials said.

The barn's owner and his children were inside the barn when the fire started Wednesday afternoon, but all of them escaped without injury, said Middlebury Fire Chief Jeff Wogoman.

'œHe noticed and heard an explosion type ... turned around and part of the building was on fire. He got everyone out and immediately called 911,'ť Wogoman told WNDU-TV.

Fire crews brought the fire under control in about 30 minutes, but only 29 of the 270 calves that were inside the barn survived the fire, he said, and the building was a total loss.

Wogaman said the barn's owner 'œwas shaken up" by the fire, which largely wiped out his livestock.

'œHe lost his whole barn and animals, but I think once we started pulling some out that were alive, it lifted some of his spirits a little bit," he said.

Fire officials continue investigating the cause of the fire. Middlebury is located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of South Bend.