Union-News (Springfield, MA)
CUMMINGTON, MA – A barn on Packard Road was destroyed and one of its owners was kicked by a horse during a fire here early Monday.
Fire Chief Bernard Forgea said he is still investigating the blaze which began at about 3:20 a.m. in a 40 by 30 foot barn belonging to Dale and Donna Gero.
Dale Gero was kicked in the head by a horse, the sole animal in the barn, as he was saving it from the fire, Forgea said. He said Gero was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, where he received 20-odd stitches, and was later released.
About 50 firefighters, from Plainfield, Cummington, Goshen, Windsor and Worthington fought to contain the fire, so the couple’s house, about 30 feet away, would not be affected. The mountaintop site was hard to reach due to icy roads, and water had to be brought via truck. “That was a busy night,” Forgea said.