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DeMayo Family Still Toting Up Losses from Barn FireBy Angela Bunt
Special to iBerkshires
12:47PM / Tuesday, August 19, 2008
 | | A pile of burnt debris from the Bonnie Lee Farm barn fire. |
WILLIAMSTOWN — It's been two weeks, but the DeMayoes are still aren't sure of what they lost when their hay barn was struck by lightning.
"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. |
In the days following the fire, volunteers helped the DeMayoes pick through the debris but the barn and its contents, including all-terrain vehicles, antique sleigh and cart, tack and supplies, are considered a total loss. Carol DeMayo said the 60-by-60-foot, wood-frame barn had fire insurance but it was "iffy" how much of the contents it would actually cover.
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 |
Andrew and Leigh-Anne Nicastro, owners of Isabella's Restaurant in North Adams, Mass., have organized a benefit dinner for the DeMayoes on Monday, Sept. 29. Seatings are $25 a person and $15 for children under the age of 12. Sign-ups for the dinner will be announced through St. Patrick's Church.
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." |
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iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary. Comments are closed for this article. If you would like to contribute information on this article, e-mail us at info@iBerkshires.com |
| Just as an update to everyone----the small emergency barn is almost completed. We have 4 stalls and room for some hay, thanks to Ron Baldwin,(contractor) and many volunteers. We plan to start the next phase of stalls soon and we will once again look for help. Thanks to all of you for your many continued kindnesses. It has been amazing to hear from people all over the country that read about our fire in iBerkshires and responded. Best to all Carol DeMayo | | from: Carol DeMayo | on: 10-17-2008 12:00AM
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