Local Community Members Rally Together to Battle Huge Barn Blaze in Remsen

There likely isn't a more caring and tight knit community than the local farming community in the rural parts of Oneida County. That was further evidenced by the gigantic response and effort to battle an early morning blaze in the Town of Remsen.

According to a local farming representative and WIBX contributor, Farmer Ben Simons, the initial report of a fire at the Jones Family Farm on the corner of Lake Julia Road and Fairchild came  in at approximately 8:50 a.m. Wednesday.

Simons says Dwayne Jones, who is a fourth generation owner of the Jones Farm, smelled smoke while feeding the beef cattle and pigs on the property. Simons reports Jones believed the smoke to be coming from the direction of his mother starting the wood burning furnace. That is until he realized suddenly that his mother was in fact not starting a fire, she wasn't even near the wood furnace. It was smoke from another source Jones was picking up.

Simons said what happened next was a heart warming and touching moment of community love and support. He says,

We didn't even have time to have emotions, it all happened so fast. It's amazing the amount of volunteer firefighters and neighboring farmers that left their family or their job to lend a helping hand.

Luckily, due to the quick and valiant efforts of those on the ground and members of several area firefighters surrounding structures were easily saved. Unfortunately the main barn, which has been part of the family farm since 1908, appears to be a near total loss. There is still an investigation underway into what caused the fire and we'll provide more details as they become available.

The sad story in this, other than the immense structural loss, was the loss of a few peacocks and quail. The other animals including the beef cows and the pigs in a neighboring structure made it out safely. Responding fire districts include Remsen, Barneveld, Forestport, Boonville, Stittville, Holland Patent, Poland, Floyd, STaR, County Car 11 and the Oneida County Sheriff's Office.

Thoughts, prayers and good wishes go out to those impacted by the fiery Remsen blaze, especially the Jones Family. We will continue to provide more details as they become available.