Family who lost barn, farm animals to fire thankful to neighbors for alerting them of blaze before it spread
Above: Romance resident Jared Hambelton stands in front of a fire at his neighbors’ barn. The fire completely burned the barn, killing several farm animals.
It was around 6:30 a.m. last Tuesday, March 28, when Romance resident Jared Hambelton left his home as usual to make his way to work when he spotted something alarming in the distance. Dark smoke billowed from his neighbors’ Stephen and Sarah Beauter’s property.
“I just headed that way, and text [other neighbors] Mike and Heather [Gardner]. I just prayed it wasn’t the house as I pulled in,” Hambelton said.
When he pulled up, he saw the barn engulfed in flames.
“I expected to see people outside, but there wasn’t anyone. So I opened the gate, and Mike and Heather pulled in. Stephen’s truck was fixing to catch on fire, so we woke him up and got the keys,” Hambelton said.
When Heather knocked on the front door, it was apparent that Stephen and the couple’s children were inside the home asleep, unaware of the blaze roaring just outside.
Hambelton worked quickly to move the truck, and Gardner used his side-by-side to also move Sarah’s grandfather’s horse trailer, saving it from the fire.
Other Romance-area neighbors Doug Hawkins and Wendy Tetrick also arrived to help. Wendy dialed 911 and explained the situation to a dispatcher, who radioed for Brixey-Rockbridge and Wasola Volunteer Fire Departments to respond.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, keeping the blaze from spreading to the family’s home or pastures, but the barn was a total loss. Several turkeys, ducks, chickens, broad breasted turkeys and assorted chicks perished in the fire.
“If it would have been windy that morning, it would have ended in a much more tragic way,” Hawkins said.
Sarah had left for work around 4:30 that morning, meaning the fire must have started sometime between then and 6:30 a.m. when Hambelton spotted the smoke.
The Beauters say that there is no way to express their gratitude toward their neighbors and the community who have stepped up in such a big way to help them throughout the entire experience.
Sarah posted to Facebook later in the week, expressing her gratitude and finding the silver lining in such a difficult experience.
“...On Tuesday morning while I was at work, our barn caught on fire... Stephen and the kids were home, and our neighbors surrounded us with all the help we could ask for in the emergency situation... We are grateful for all the prayers and thoughts, and we have already seen many blessings - more help offered from family and friends than we know what to do with. The verse from “Graves Into Gardens” that I keep thinking of is: ‘Cause the God of the mountain / Is the God of the valley / There’s not a place / Your mercy and grace / Won’t find me again,’” the post said.