PITTSFIELD TWP. — A fire caused by a lightning strike overnight has completely destroyed a massive, nearly 200-year-old barn and left two Pittsfield Township families with losses easily in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Rachel Park, 24, whose family owns the barn, on Webster Road just east of state Route 58, said lightning struck about 3:15 a.m. and by 4:30 a.m. the entire barn was engulfed in flames. Firefighters remain on the scene now, more than seven hours later.

“The barn literally exploded,” she said. “It went up like a huge mushroom cloud.”

More photos below.

Despite the massive loss, Park called her family “very lucky.”

What they described as the fast and efficient response of at least 10 fire departments and what firefighters described to them as “favorable wind conditions” spared their family home.

They’re also grateful for a passer-by who stopped by and banged on the door to wake up the family. Unfortunately, they didn’t catch his name.

“He stayed around for a while and tried to help us,” Park said. “But we were just in such a panic we didn’t think to ask.”

The barn had contained three vehicles, “tons of farm equipment,” a mower, a four-wheeler, two grills, a motorcycle, tools, and hay, feed and farm equipment belonging to the Breyley family, who run Bedebe Farms down the road and rent storage space. The only animals in the barn were “cats, birds and bats,” according to Park. She said all the cats managed to escape and had been accounted for.

The loss is more sentiment than anything, according to Mary Waite, Park’s grandmother, who owns the barn.

The barn, which was built in the 1830s had been bought by Park’s great-grandfather in the 1930s. Park’s 4-year-old son, Dylan, who was running around the scene in his fireman’s outfit, would have been the fifth generation to own the barn, the family remarked.

As the fire burned there were quite a few moments Park described as “nerve-wracking.” There were multiple explosions, she said. The smaller ones were vehicle tires blowing, and the larger ones were multiple propane tanks, gas cans and gas tanks in all the vehicles and mowers.

Insurance will cover much but not all of her family’s losses, according to Park, but she said the Breyley family will be in a tight spot having lost all their hay, animal feed and equipment.

“If any local farmers are able to help them out, I’m sure they could use the help,” she said.

Firefighters from at least 10 departments battled the fire. Park and her family listed Carlisle Township, Rochester Township, Wellington, Oberlin, Spencer, Camden Township, New London, Litchfield, Grafton and Wakeman.

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.