By Gabbie Burton 
Contributing Writer

The Healy family of Grazing Acres Farm in New London experienced a devastation incomprehensible to most when their 250-year-old barn burned down on the morning of Dec. 5, and while nothing can completely make up for what was lost, the surrounding community is aiming to try.

Grazing Acres farm has been passed down for three generations beginning in 1948, and the resulting fire not only took a barn, but took history and family memories with it.  

“It’s a sad thing to lose,” said Jimmy Healy, owner of Grazing Acres.  

Healy said that he was present at the time of the fire and alerted authorities after a spark from a piece of equipment started a small fire at the front of the barn. West Grove Fire Company Chief Eric Felker said the official cause of the fire is still under investigation by the State Police Fire Marshal. 

In a mere six minutes from the time Healy called 911 at 8:27 a.m., the barn had become fully engulfed in flames. In that time, Healy and others on sight not only tried to stop the fire and call emergency services, they also evacuated all 17 horses that were kept in the stables of the barn.

For Healy, choosing between fight or flight was no choice at all.  

“Everybody asked me, ‘Weren’t you scared?’” Healy said. “But no, not at all. You just kind of have adrenaline kick in.”

The West Grove Fire Company was dispatched to the scene at 8:30 a.m. and received assistance from 11 other local fire departments, who collectively battled down the fire until it was fully extinguished eight hours later.

Felker said that upon the fire company’s arrival, the fire was already at 100 percent involvement, meaning the barn could not be saved. The crews had the fire under control after an hour and a half and focused efforts on the “hot spots” of the fire and stopping the fire from spreading.  

“Our goal is to keep the fire in the area of involvement and protect the unburned parts of the structure,” Felker said. “In this case, the entire structure was on fire before we got there so our goal was to protect the two barns adjacent to it, which we were fortunate enough to be able to save.” 

Both Felker and Healy noted how the wind of the day and recent dry conditions could have accelerated the fire’s power. Healy explained that all the farm’s hay was kept in the barn -- about 1,200 bales -- and the hay was particularly dry this year leading to it easily catching fire and the wind spreading the flames further.  

In addition to all of the farm’s hay, the fire also destroyed all the feed supply, horse-tack, three hay balers, six tractors and other equipment.  

“It’s stupid how you get attached to a piece of machinery. One tractor that my grandparents bought new in 1941 that we have kept doesn’t do that much, but it still pulls hay wagons, so it’s hard to see it go,” Healy said. “You don’t have enough insurance to [rebuild inventory], because it just doesn’t ever go far enough when you start having 75, 80 years of accumulating things.”  

That’s where the community began to step in.  

Dan Sweeney, a neighbor of the Healy’s, began a GoFundMe for the family on Dec. 6 with a goal of $30,000. As of Dec. 10, the funds had reached $23,708. He shared that at first, the family was hesitant to the idea of the GoFundMe but that he strongly believed the community would come together for the family and insisted on it.  

“I’m just touched by how the community has reacted to this, everyone stepped up,” Sweeney said. “That’s exactly why I love where we live. Everyone showed support. It’s not shocking to me that everyone wants to contribute because of how known and how liked this family is. When you’re good people and you do good things, people react and people step up for you.”  

In addition to the GoFundMe page, Oxford Feed and Lumber and Brandywine Ace Pet & Farm began a “round up the register” campaign on Dec. 5 that extended until Dec. 9. Over that time, 802 people donated $10,150 in money and supplies.  

“Everybody knows the Healy’s, and for something that terrible to happen to them, we had to do something,” a spokesperson for Oxford Feed and Lumber and Brandywine Ace said. “In this world and in this type of community, everyone knows each other, and we just hold each other up. They’re our people, and we all take care of our people.”  

Healy acknowledged the stores for all the help they have given to his farm, expressing his gratitude for their assistance. 

“Oxford Feed and Lumber, the Drennens, Lindsay Drennen especially, has been going above and beyond anything you could ever ask for,” he said. “Lindsay herself has been out here and worked and cleaned up, and they've dropped supplies off. We don't have anything left for the animals or any of that stuff, what Lindsay did...it's unbelievable.” 

He hopes with the assistance they’ve received that the farm can have horses back in about a month. Beyond that however, the Grazing Acres team is taking things one step at a time and finding the best way forward through the ash and smoke that still lingers on the property.  

“This is the first time I ever had anything like this happen and the community support, especially with the horse community, has been pretty amazing,” Healy said. “It’s just a sad thing to lose, but the help our family has received has just been a godsend.”