The West Plainfield Fire Department is investigating the cause of a barn fire that claimed the lives of some farm animals Thursday.
Rabbits, chickens and a miniature horse were the casualties of the fire, which was reported at about 1 p.m. on County Road 97D between Russell Boulevard and County Road 31, said West Plainfield Fire Chief Cherie Rita said.
“The barn was fully involved and mostly burned by the time we got there,” Rita said. In addition to the barn, the fire burned about an acre of grass and two smaller adjacent structures. It was unclear whether the fire originated at the barn or elsewhere.
Some farm and machine equipment also was lost in the blaze, according to Rita. A damage estimate was not yet available Thursday evening.
A total of about 25 fire personnel from the West Plainfield, Davis, UC Davis, Dixon, Winters and Willow Oak fire departments responded to the incident. Crews cleared the scene several hours later and planned to return during the night to check for possible flare-ups, Rita said.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
