by BECKY GOFF
Little Apple Post
RILEY COUNTY - Around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, firefighters with Riley County Fire District #1 were called out to a structure fire in the 2700 block of West 60th Avenue, west of Manhattan.
When crews arrived on scene, they found a large barn fully engulfed in fire.
Fifteen volunteer firefighters attacked the fire and were able to gain control and extinguish it within 15 minutes of arriving on scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, damage is estimated at $75,000.
There were no injuries reported with the fire, however, several chickens, ducks, and geese died in the fire.
"Thankfully, the winds were calm this morning and fire danger was low. When we arrived, the barn was already destroyed and our focus was on putting out hot spots and keeping flare ups from spreading to neighboring fields and structures. It's a difficult loss for the owner, but on a different day, this situation could have been much worse," said Deputy Fire Chief John Martens.
RCEMS and RCPD also responded to the scene as mutual aid.