By Liz Hayes / photo by Erik Felack – Valley News Dispatch
Larry Musselman and Tammy McKendree returned to their Allegheny Township horse rescue on Monday afternoon to find two of their barns in flames.
“When we came back, the fire trucks were already here and it was engulfed,” said Musselman, who manages the LLM Holdings Trust, which owns the Markle Road farm known as Ladave Farms.
Markle Volunteer Fire Department Lt. Chuck Hibner said the fire was reported about 3 p.m. When crews arrived, flames from one barn were starting to spread to a neighboring structure that Musselman said dates to 1876.
“They were successful in knocking this one down,” Hibner said of the fire at the older barn, which showed only a few singe marks on the exterior green paint.
But the newer barn was destroyed. Musselman and McKendree said its contents included a hay elevator, six tractors, two horse carriages and about 2,000 bails of hay.
“It’s the winter hay for the horses,” Musselman said.
All nine horses had been turned out to pasture and were not in the barn during the fire. One horse that had been tied up near the barn was led out of harm’s way and placidly munched grass alongside the farm’s lengthy driveway, which was lined with fire trucks.
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