A fire broke out in a barn at Ansell Acres, a 105-year-old farm in East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, on Sunday night.

It all started around 10 p.m., just as farm owner Larry Ansell was getting ready for bed.

"My cousin, who lives next door, came in and said, 'You know, the shed is on fire,'" Ansell recalled. "And until I got out of the house, it was fully engulfed at that point."

Ansell says the structure went up quickly, and they are lucky that no people and none of their 60 head of cattle were in or around the barn when the fire started.

Eight volunteer fire companies from the surrounding communities responded and worked throughout the night and into the morning to get the fire under control.

In all, the farm lost equipment and tools, a truck, and over a year's supply of hay. 

Though that hay continues to burn and will likely continue to burn for the next few days, Ansell says they are grateful for their friends and neighbors who have been stepping up to help them in their time of need.

"The farming community is strong," said Ansell. "There's not many of us, but we are a very strong community, and I have had many of them already reach out and say, 'Hey, we'll drop off a load, let us know how we can help.' The rural community is a strong community, that's for sure. We will figure it out. We will get hay from somewhere, and the cows won't go hungry."

It is not known exactly what caused this fire to start, but an investigation will soon be underway.