Cause of barn fire probed

Authorities suspect arson in this fire that consumed a barn in Montgomery Township last week. In the inset, neighbors watch the structure burn to the ground.

The Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshall is investigating whether a barn fire at 6841 Buchanan Trail West was the result of arson.

A 40-by-80-foot bank barn on the farm of Dennis Hissong was destroyed June 14. It was reported by passing motorists at 7:41 a.m.

No people or animals were in the 100-year-old barn at the time. It housed 180 bales of hay, each weighing between 800 and 1000 pounds, according to Fire Marshall Jeffrey Sarver. The structure had no electrical service and was not used to store fuel, he said. Truck and tractor tires were also inside.

He estimated damage at $116,000.

Fire companies from Greencastle, Mercersburg, Waynesboro, Mont Alto, St. Thomas, Marion, Fannettsburg, Clear Spring, Mau-