Barn Fire in Bethel New York Bring Community Together

Last week when the call came in that there was a fire at Russell Farm a community came together to fight that fire and be there for each other. Initially what I saw on social media were videos of the flames and smoke which quickly became posts of a community coming together to help each other.

Fire departments and emergency agencies all jumped in to put out the flames and then more people and agencies came together to help those working at the scene stay cool and hydrated in last Thursday's heat. It took a town and then some to fight this massive barn fire.

Fire Destroys Russell Farms Barn in Bethel New York

Russell Farm Fire - White Lake Fire Company via Facebook

The Russell Farm Barn was an iconic building which according to one social media contributor included a previous fire when it was still the Yasgur Barn, according to the poster that barn burned down in 1963. The Russell Farm currently sits on what was the Yasgar Farm the site of the original Woodstock Music Festival.

Various Fire Departments jumped in to help. The Narrowsburg Fire Department was just one of the departments that were called in to help. They helped with the tankers. It is estimated that one tanker shuttled over 30,000 gallons of water to the fire.

Narrowsburg Fire Department

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The weather was brutal on the day of the fire. Just about all of New York was in a heat wave and parts of Sullivan County were pushing 90 degrees with a heat index making the real feel much hotter. Fortunately, there were many agencies that came to the site with the necessary water and supplies to keep the firefighters hydrated. The Hankins-Fremont Fire Dept. Ladies Auxiliary Inc. shared this photo.

Russell Farm Fire - Hankins-Fremont Fire Dept Lades Auxiliary Inc via Facebook

At the moment the cleanup is ongoing and the Russell family is still putting together the pieces from last week's fire. Down the road there a surely going to be more opportunities for the community to come together and help as hopefully, the Russell rebuilds. In the meantime, the White Lake fire company shared a post on Facebook thanking everyone who helped out that day.