Fire threatens historic landmark and sends animals into a panic

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – A mid-day fire tore through a two-story barn at Brooksby Farm Sunday afternoon, sending a menagerie of animals into a panic and locals into fear that one of the area’s oldest landmarks was in jeopardy. The fire department received a call around 2:30 p.m. when a neighbor, who had been walking his dog, notified the department that a fire had consumed one of the barns at Brooksby Farm.
By the time Deputy Fire Chief James Coughlin arrived at the scene, firefighters from Engine 3 were already battling the flames and corralling the animals but, according to Coughlin, he arrived to an intense and anxious scene.
“The wind was blowing smoke right towards the rest of the property, water was freezing and there were animals running around everywhere. Let’s just say the place was fully involved,” said Coughlin.
The farm’s historic barn, which housed most of the farm’s smaller animals and a surplus of hay, was razed by the blaze. Six sheep, four lambs, a chicken and a rabbit were huddled inside the barn, stricken with fear over the flames and the commotion outside. The animals, which had been grazing near the structure during the afternoon, panicked when they saw the fire and sought shelter in the ground floor of the building, only feet away from start of the fire.
“All of the flames were coming out of the top part of the barn, so the animals were trying to get away from it. They just got really scared and ran inside. That’s where they thought they’d be protected from the fire,” said Patrick O’Brien, a worker at the farm and son of the farm’s manager.
According to O’Brien and Coughlin, firemen and farm staff labored to get the animals to safety. Some of the sheep had scorched coats but all of the animals survived the fire. A veterinarian determined that each animal was healthy and would recover from the incident.
“We had to run into the smoke to drag them out and once you got one out two more would run in. You had to drag them out. They were all so nervous they didn’t know what to do. If there weren’t so many people here helping out I don’t know how we could have done it,” said O’Brien, giving credit to the fire department for containing the fire and saving the animals under intense conditions.
While the animals thought they were running to shelter, in reality they were running right to the fire’s core. According Coughlin, the fire started in the center of the ground floor, right near the livestock’s watering tank. The tank’s heater, which is kept on through the winter to prevent the water from freezing during the frigid months, appears to have been the cause of the fire. At this point investigators aren’t certain if the fire was caused by a malfunction of the heating unit or by an animal accidentally bumping the unit, bringing it in contact with a combustible material.
Whatever the exact cause of the fire, the scene that ensued was, according to Coughlin’s accounts, “quite chaotic.”
The blustery winds, dry air and below freezing temperatures, fed the fire that was kindled by bales of dried hay.
“The water was freezing and the wind was blowing towards the direction of [Smith] Barn. We were very concerned about the fire’s proximity to all the historic properties and to the orchards,” said Coughlin, “We were dousing the structure even after the fire was out. Keeping that fire contained was a huge priority for us.”
The result of the fire has been devastating to farm manager James O’Brien. He says that in addition to creating a financial burden, the animals that were in and near the fire are dealing with the trauma of the incident and the stress of losing their home.
Farm managers Bill Clark of Clark’s Farm in Danvers and Al Craig, general manager of the Topsfield Fairgrounds, have both offered areas in their barns for the displaced animals.
“We’ve all been through stuff like this and there are so few of us around anymore. We really need to stick together and lend our support,” said Clark of the brotherhood of farm managers.
For now, O’Brien says he is going to do what he can to keep all of the animals together.
“Animals really need consistency. It might get crowded but I think it’s better for their well-being if they are all kept together and all kept on site,” said O’Brien. For the past few nights the animals have called a greenhouse, about 500 yards from the site of the fire, home. O’Brien is considering moving the sheep to another barn on the property, which he thinks will be best option for the distressed animals.
“We just want to make sure that the animals are well-taken care of while we figure things out. As bad of a day that I had [on Sunday] those animals had a worse one.”
Brooksby Farm is a 250-acre working apple orchard and conservation area that houses four historic structures. The Nathaniel Felton Sr. House was built in 1644 and is the oldest standing structure in Peabody. The Nathaniel Felton Jr. House was built in 1683, the Firehouse Museum was built in 1875, and the Smith Barn was built in 1906.




Brooksby’s Historic Buildings

Brooksby Farm is a two hundred fifty acre working apple orchard and conservation area that houses four of Peabody’s historic structures.

1644: Nathaniel Felton Sr. House; The oldest standing structure in Peabody
1683: Nathaniel Felton Jr. House
1875: The Firehouse Museum at Brooksby Farm
1906: Smith Barn