HEBRON — A large barn that doubled as a workshop on Patten Hill Road was hit by lightning Friday evening and destroyed by fire.

Firefighters from Hebron, Buckfield, Auburn, Paris and Minot responded to the 4 p.m. call on the rural road just off Greenwood Mountain Road. PACE ambulance was also on scene.

The barn is owned by Audrey Slattery, and is known as Slattery’s Stables, offering boarding and carriage rides from the farm. A skidder and other heavy equipment were destroyed. Slattery said no one was hurt but “there was a lot of stuff lost.” She said the barn was insured.

According to Hebron Fire Chief Jim Trundy, several propane tanks in the barn vented, fueling the blaze. The heat damaged an adjacent barn and kept firefighters about 50 feet back when they first responded.

Trundy said it was a challenge getting water to the fire. The barn was about 2,500 feet up Patten Hill Road from where firefighters set up water storage pools. No firefighters were hurt, Trundy said.

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