Barn leveled, farmhouse damaged in 5-alarm fire

LEBANON - A Lebanon farmhouse was heavily damaged and its attached barn destroyed in an early morning fire that went to five alarms.

According to Lebanon Deputy Fire Chief Eric Neuberg, the call came in a little after midnight for a barn on fire at 491 West Lebanon Road, just a short distance from Five Corners.

When crews arrived the barn was already "down to the ground," said Neubert and fire had stretched to the back of the main house.

Lebanon Fire and mutual aid units used tankers to supply water to fight the blaze, which took quite a while to subdue.

Neubert characterized the house, itself, as being "heavily damaged."

Two adults and a child living at the house as well as all the family pets were able to escape the blaze.

"The adults awoke to the smell of smoke, saw fire and got out," Neubert said.

Firefighters were still on scene around 5:30 a.m. tending to hot spots.

No preliminary cause of the fire was given, and an investigation is under way.

Mutual aid from Milton, Rochester, Wakefield, Berwick, North Berwick and South Berwick, Somersworth, N.H., Shapleigh and Alfred, Maine, all helped in putting out the blaze.

"We're very appreciative of their help," Neuberg said.