A large blaze in freezing temperatures proved a test for the Exeter Fire Protection District, but not an unsurmountable one.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 20, Donnie Chadd, Exeter Fire chief, said firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire at 5253 Hwy. CC, between Exeter and Wheaton.

Chadd said his first officer reported upon arrival a barn was fully engulfed, including the loft area, and it contained a couple tractors and a baler. The power of the blaze, combined with single-digit temperatures, made battling it a challenge.

‘The frigid temperatures make the attack difficult,’ Chadd said. ‘My truck said 9 degrees when I got the page. It’s tougher because in those temperatures, there’s ice on the ground, and our hoses and couplers are subject to freezing. You have to keep water moving through the pump or it will freeze.’

A. new automatic mutual aid system triggered other local fire districts to assist in the battle. Butterfield, Cassville and Wheaton all contributed to getting the blaze under control.

‘We had lots of help from three other departments, and that was crucial to knocking it down in a timely manner,’ Chadd said. ‘But, it was still a total loss.’

No one was injured on the scene, and Chadd said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, and he does not suspect foul play.