Animals inside barn safe after neighbor notices fire and calls 911

UCON — Animals inside a barn are safe after the building caught fire Tuesday, all thanks to the quick action of a neighbor along with firefighters.

Firefighters from the Ucon Fire Department, including help from Ammon and Idaho Falls, were dispatched to a barn fire after 7:30 a.m. The fire occurred on 109th North in Bonneville County.

“They (the barn owners) had a heat lamp, and they were trying to keep animals warm. Something happened whether an animal bumped it or something… but it looks like the heat lamp caught it on fire and burned up the side of the barn,” said Scott Norman, fire chief with the Ucon Fire Department.

Norman said luckily, a neighbor was out feeding his cows and saw the flames come up over the building. He called 911 and ran over with a hose, and firefighters got to the location quickly to extinguish the fire. The barn owners were not there at the time of the fire.

There were no injuries or loss of animals. There was minimal damage to the barn, but it could have turned out differently.

“If that neighbor wouldn’t have seen it, it could have been pretty bad,” Norman said. “Make sure to check your heat lamps and don’t leave them unattended.”