Bio: Wagner, Lloyd – Barn Burns (Sep 1970)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Wagner, Block, Edblom

----Source: Tribune/Phonograph (Abbotsford, Clark Co., Wis.) 17 Sep 1970

A farm fire is always a disaster, but when barns on two good neighboring farm operations burn at the same time, it is a real nightmare.

This happened Wednesday night at the Lloyd Wagner and Harold Black farms, across the road from each other in the town of Colby (Clark Co., Wis.), four miles west of Colby, two miles south, and another half mile west.

Both barns were believed to have been struck by lightning in a storm that also killed heifers on the Arnold Edblom farm in rural Unity.

The barn on the Lloyd Wagner farm was the first to burn.

Mr. Wagner and his oldest son were in a garage when there was considerable electrical activity. Shortly after five they went out to begin milking, when they noticed smoke coming from the barn.

The Colby fire department was called, but flames were already too advanced to save the buildings. Fire apparently started on the west end of the barn, where a free stall loafing barn with a metal roof was attached.

There was no machinery in the barn, but the cattle were already in. The men were able to drive the cows out, and there were no animals lost.

Destroyed were the older main barn, about 40 x 9 feet, an 18 x10 foot milking parlor attached to the side of the barn, and the approximately 50 x 150 foot loafing barn.

The barn also held some 200 tons of hay.


After starting in the hay mow in the west end of the barn, flames moved in both directions, east into the older barn, and southwest into the loafing barn.

One silo containing chopew straw for bed was damaged. (The rest of this article was cut off)