By COREY SAATHOFF & 

ANDREW UNVERFERTH

For the Republic-Times

The new year did not start off so well for a family farm near Red Bud.

Multiple departments responded shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday to a large machine shed fire at a farm in the 8500 block of LL Road north of Brickey Road in rural southeastern Monroe County.

The unoccupied structure was fully engulfed in flames when the Red Bud Fire Department was first paged to the farm shortly after 4:50 p.m. The Hecker, Prairie du Rocher and Baldwin fire departments were requested to the scene for mutual aid.

Monroe County EMS also responded to the incident, but no injuries were reported. 

Red Bud Fire Chief Sean Landgraf said the shed was mostly filled with farming equipment and round bales at the time of the fire.

“We don’t know the cause, but we know a tractor had a block heater that was plugged in,” he said. 

Landgraf said the flames ignited some insulation in an adjacent shed, though this was extinguished with minimal additional damage. 

Marlene Robert confirmed following the incident that she owns the property while her son, Armin “Butch” Robert, farms the land.

Curtis Harms, Armin’s nephew, posted on Facebook shortly after the fire to report the loss of the structure and equipment. He also reported that three calves were lost in the blaze.

“That shed and the tractors inside were almost part of the family but nothing that was lost can’t be replaced,” he posted. “No one was hurt and this will just be a bump in the road.”

Armin spoke with the Republic-Times several days after the fire, confirming the animals had died and further lamenting the damage done to the shed – which he described as his “hub.”

“When I have to talk about them three little calves, I just start crying,” Armin said. “It hurts so bad losing them three. And if it wouldn’t be for the three calves, then I get upset over losing three tractors.”

Armin added there were also some larger cattle at the other end of the shed that he and other folks were able to move and get penned to make way for emergency responders.

On the property damage, Armin voiced his frustration at the loss as most of the machines were used equipment he’d put plenty of time, effort and funds into fixing up.

He also noted that a lot of the machinery had been on the family farm for some time – either inherited from his father or acquired shortly after he got out of high school.

Speaking further about the incident, Armin described seeing flames, burning insulation and some heat damage in a neighboring building that, as Chief Landgraf said, was kept from the same fate as the main machine shed.

Armin explained he was away from the property when the incident began, enjoying a New Year’s celebration at a neighbor’s home when another guest alerted him to the fire.

“They said one of the little kids was playing outside, saw that fire and they told their mother to come to the door,” Armin said. “The lady hollered, ‘There’s a fire over there! Somebody’s barn is on fire!’ And I just felt it. It hit me in my chest.”

With a tragic start to the year, Armin said he’s currently handling insurance matters and hoping to get back to his normal day-to-day farm chores as best he can.

He voiced appreciation to the first responders at the incident as well as all neighbors and fellow farmers who assisted during the fire and have continued to offer their support.