Rural fire departments fight barn fire

At least a half-dozen rural volunteer fire departments were dispatched to rural Hempstead County this afternoon to battle a barn fire. Firemen were dispatched mid-afternoon to the Ben Runyon Farm on Hempstead County Road 37. Bingen VFD initially was dispatched, but the size and intensity soon led to mutual aid from Yancey, McCaskill, Washington, Ozan, and County Line from Howard County. A cause has yet to be determined. Photos by Mark Keith