GOULDSBORO, Maine — An early morning fire Monday destroyed the old wooden barn that was the centerpiece of the Darthia Farm on West Bay Road in Gouldsboro, killing the assortment of horses, sheep, pigs, calves and young ducklings and chickens inside.
Owner Bill Thayer said he was awakened about 2:30 a.m. by flashes of light from the fire. He said he tried to rescue his three draft horses but was driven back by the intense heat of the fire. Thayer said his wife, Cynthia, tried unsuccessfully to let 20 sheep out of the burning barn, suffering a burn above one eye in the process. Also killed were two pigs, two calves and about 60 young chickens and ducks.
Thayer speculates that the fire was sparked by a heat lamp, despite precautions taken in installing the lamp to ensure it wouldn’t pose a fire risk. Gouldsboro Police Chief Glenn Grant said at the scene that an effort to pinpoint the cause of the fire would be made as an excavator sorted through the smoldering rubble.
In addition to the animals lost in the fire, Thayer said the barn held 450 bales of hay and straw.
Gouldsboro firefighters were assisted by responders from Sorrento, Steuben, Sullivan and Winter Harbor, Grant said.
My heart goes out to these people in the loss of all their animals and that big old beautiful barn that was on their property… I am glad that they are all okay though… Such a sad outcome!
This is so sad! I hope the community rallies around to support them in whatever way they need. These are such good people who have done so much good for their town and for the organic farming community.
I know the tragedy of loosing a barn to fire; and my reason was a heat lamp also. I’ll never use one again or recommend one, so sad.
I am so sorry for the loss of the animals…BDN you need to make a more concerted effort to get facts straight. GLENN GRANT IS THE POLICE CHIEF. The FIRE CHIEF is BOB HARMON. Maybe this farm would be a great place to give shelter to some animals who may have had a hard life.
This was a beautiful working farm, with trained animals that knew how to plow, pull wagons and such. They will be hard to replace as will the great Barn that housed them all. So very sorry to hear of this.
Sending my love to this family for all that they have lost, and I hope they have the strength to recover and rebuild from this tragedy.
So very sad. I will miss the horses at the Common Ground Fair. Best of luck to the Thayers as they figure out what to do next. They have suffered unspeakable tragedy for a family of good and talented people. My heart goes out to them.
What a tragedy, on a small farm you have a real connection with your critters. Sorry this had to happen, glad no humans were seriously hurt
what a horrific shame. There are better ways to DESIGN and BUILD and MANAGE barns so that we can LEARN from a tragedy like this. Check out the blog on BARN FIRES on THEHORSE.com and do the following: Have OUTSIDE WALL ACCESS to the stalls. Build a fire lane. Update your electrical. Install automatic sprinklers.
My heart goes out to the family.
The loss of the animals,no doubt hearing their sounds of terror, must have been awful. The loss of everything else is so sad, as it is a major investment for a farm.What a sad story for this family.
so sad.
Please update this story with contact information about how to help this family rebuild their farm. So many of us could be in the same position and need help. How can we help them?
A fund has been set up to help, you can make a donation to the Darthia Farm Phoenix Fund at the Bar Harbor Bank and Trust, PO Box 159, Winter Harbor, zip code 04693
I am so very sorry to read this. My heart goes out to the Thayers.
This is so sad! All those precious animals lost….
Lord, we pray for You to restore to these people their home, animals and their livelihood. Give them hope to rebuild thru their friends and family and gifts from others that can help them reestablish their lives. Jesus, be with them as they mourn and cry for what they lost. Give them the HOPE that only YOU can give Jesus….they are desperate….amen
Thank you for your prayers Patricia, I hope these good people are ok….so very sad.
Just devastating. Bill and Cynthia are lovely people and I’m so sorry to hear this. I visited Darthia several times over the years and I know how much the horses (and other animals) meant to them.