Fire destroyed a saw-mill barn in Andes on Monday, the owner said.
Richard Liddle of 29340 State Highway 28 said the blaze started when he and his son, Roger, were trying to start the engine and it backfired. Attempts to beat the fire down weren't successful, Liddle said, and his son went to the house to call 911 for help.
However, firefighters didn't have a chance to save the 24-by-70-foot, wooden pole building because the structure was completely ablaze by the time crews arrived, Liddle said. The saw-mill operation was a hobby and a supplement to his dairy farm of 80 milkers, he said.
The building wasn't insured, Liddle said, and the important factor was that no one was hurt and that the house and barn didn't burn. A ``lovely lady'' from the Andes Hotel delivered steak dinners to the Liddle home Monday night, he said, and other residents expressed sympathy.
Andes firefighters responded to a call at 1:55 p.m. Monday, according to the Delaware County fire log, and Bovina and Delhi crews provided mutual aid.
