One person injured in 2-alarm fire that destroyed Prospect barn

PROSPECT, KY (WAVE) - Firefighters battled a massive barn fire in Prospect on a frigid night Wednesday.

The fire was first reported around 6 p.m. at Sutherland Farm off U.S. 42, according to MetroSafe. Its flames and smoke could be seen from miles away.

Firefighters rescued a man who was badly burned. Officials said he tried to fight the fire himself and suffered burns all the way up his back and neck.

Harrods Creek Fire Chief Kevin Tyler said the man was alive when he was rushed to University Hospital. Officials have not provided an update on his condition.

The fire department said there was an apartment in the barn where the farm manager lived. It was his visitor who was badly burned. He was also hurt.

Tyler said no animals were in the barn that caught fire, and the horses in the barn next to it were not harmed.

It took firefighters from multiple departments to get the flames under control. Despite the size and seriousness of the situation, crews were able to get the flames out in 20 minutes. But once they did, the barn was a total loss.

The hardest part of fighting this fire? Freezing temperatures.

“Everything is going to be a little slower, it’s going to take more effort to get through the ice slip hazards,” Tyler said. “Then we have the biggest hazard -- we fight fire with water, so once we get that water moving -- what is it now guys, 7 degrees? -- it’s not going to take long for it to freeze.”

Arson investigators are still trying to determine a cause.

Officials believe there could have been a leak in a propane heater in the room where the fire started, but that has not been confirmed.

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