DeMayo Family Still Toting Up Losses from Barn Fire
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| A pile of burnt debris from the Bonnie Lee Farm barn fire. |
"Every day we keep finding that we've lost things," said Carol DeMayo. "Somebody will say, 'where is the magnet, where is the ladder, where's the whatever?' and we stand there for a while thinking 'it's in the third barn' and it takes you a minute to realize there isn't a third barn.
"There's nothing in the space that's left. Nothing survived."
The barn at Bonnie Lea Farm burned to the ground after a bolt of lightning hit it during one of this summer's frequent storms.
The DeMayoes — Carol, her husband Richard and daughter and farm manager Lisa — were running their summer riding program for kids when the lightning struck the barn around 5:30 on a Thursday evening. The lightning spewed from a circuit box and ignited a nearby bale of hay, sending the children and counselors who'd sought shelter inside from the rain running for help.
The children, five horses stabled in the barn, chickens, goats and a cat escaped unscathed but the barn went up in a fireball, leaving nothing but a partial wall, rubble and blackened earth.
Richard DeMayo said their two biggest losses were three to four thousand bales of hay — a winter's worth — and their daughter's trailer, estimated at $75,000. The trailer, used for horse shows, contained equipment for 12 to 18 horses including saddle racks, blankets, tools, feeders and trunks.
 Photos by Angela Bunt
A black cat lays on the ashen ground where the hay barn stood. |
The DeMayoes plan to create more stalls in the first barn and Ron Baldwin, a local carpenter, is helping to build a new, smaller barn equipped with room for four horses and hay.
The preventative measures being taken by the DeMayoes include a separate barn for hay storage and the addition of lightning rods to their remaining barns. (The family also lost two draft horses several years ago after they were struck by lightning while out in a field.)
The DeMayoes said the generosity of their friends and the community has been overwhelming and very humbling.
"A wonderful electrician, Terry LaPlante, has donated lightning rods. That will be some help," said Carol DeMayo. "Friends have been pouring in amazingly. Just dropping by to say 'are you OK?' ... e-mails, phone calls."
 All that's left of the barn at Bonnie Lea Farm is a partial wall. Below, the barn engulfed in flames two weeks ago. |
.JPG) iBerkshires file photo |
Friends Brian and Alix Cabral (Alix helped rescue the horses in the barn) are also hoping to aid in the relief effort by creating an account at Williamstown Savings Bank to benefit the Bonnie Lea Farm. The DeMayoes said they are hoping this will help pay for some of the rebuilding costs.
The DeMayos said they are optimistic — and thankful no one was injured in the fire.
"We can't even think in the what-if department because that would be too depressing," said Carol DeMayo. "We're just smiling and saying thank you."
