Firefighters faced a fully engulfed three-story barn fire located off of New York State Route 32 on Friday. (Photo by Justin Fazio)

OXFORD– On Friday, seven fire departments responded to a barn fire in Oxford that destroyed two structures, temporarily closed a state highway and left no injuries.

The Village of Oxford Fire Department was dispatched shortly after 3 a.m. to 2998 County Road 32, where firefighters faced a fully engulfed three-story barn, said Fire Chief Ronald R. Martin Jr.

Its wooden silo was also well-involved, Martin said, and firefighters were able to salvage a second structure next to the barn. Response teams fought the fire until around 2 p.m. on Friday and returned to it three times, Martin said, an effort lasting for almost a half of a day.

Martin said the property was a “seasonal residence,” and the owner was not present. There were no injuries among the fire crew, Martin said, and there were no animals in the barn.

The Chenango County Highway Department set up temporary road barriers to close off the portion of New York State Route 32 from South Oxford Bridge to County Road 32C in Brisben, Martin said. The road was closed for the whole span of the fire, he said.

Martin said The Chenango County Office of Emergency Services’ Fire Investigation Unit is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

The barn had machinery inside of its structures, including several tractors and utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), Martin said. Firefighters encountered about 100 lit round bales of hay, which he said made fighting the fire very difficult.

In addition to Oxford, initial attack crews contained Greene and Coventry, Martin said. Mutual aid included the Guilford, Smithville, Norwich and Bainbridge fire departments, he said.

Since the barn was secluded and farther from aid, Martin concluded that it didn’t have a great chance at staying fully intact after the fire.

“It was quite a large fire, and everybody worked well together; it was really a great effort,” he said. “Unfortunately, when you get a barn fire that’s open like that, it’s pretty much futile when you’re several miles away from it.”