LITCHFIELD – When Captain Doug Nicoll responded to a barn fire in town last August, the heat was so intense it drove him back.

Firefighters had only a few minutes of water to douse the fire that was growing more intense by the minute. They had to make it count or things could get a lot worse, and fast.

The side of the barn had caught fire, and was spreading inside. Nicoll spotted propane tanks that were in jeopardy of exploding.

“Depending on which way the explosion went … the propane tanks would have killed somebody,” Nicoll said. The tanks have an emergency release that give a warning whistle when the tanks are under stress.

“It was beyond that point when we got there … the whistle had stopped,” he said.

Nicoll said the firefighters only had a couple of minutes of water, so they had to be resourceful. “We decided to knock down the barn to contain it…to dissipate the heat, and it worked,” he said.

The closest fire hydrant was a mile away.

“We laid a mile of hose,” Nicoll said. “It takes a lot of resources to lay a mile of hose.”

Now, more than a year later, the barn is rebuilt, thanks to friends, family and members of the community.

Life-long resident Gail Barringer said her property is the former summer campground of Chief Passaconaway and was granted to her ancestors by King George in the 18th century.

“As you can imagine, we’re eternally grateful. It really makes you thankful for a small town fire department,” said Barringer. The Barringer’s property sits between 3A and the Merrimack River. Their house, garage and barn are down a long curving driveway, well hidden by dense foliage from the street and their neighbors.

The cause of the barn fire was ultimately attributed to oil rags that were on the floor of the barn. The rags were soaked with a wood stain for the pergola the Barringers were constructing that summer. The oil stain on the rags caused a spontaneous combustion, and the flames spread to the rest of the barn.

“It’s only oil-based stain, and only certain kinds. We got a special air-tight trash can to dispose of them now,” said Barringer.

Ed Barringer said he heard the fire before he knew what it was. “Our neighbor sometimes has fireworks…I thought it was that. I went outside and saw the flames.” At it turns out, the fire had set-off a box of old bullets inside the barn, causing the noise.

“It was just leveled, it was incredible,” said Gail Barringer of the barn fire.

Although the fire had disabled the phone lines to the house, someone had already called the fire department. Nicoll referred to his report from that night, “We were dispatched at 9:04, we were here in six minutes, and the last truck to leave was at 12:30 at night.”

Gail and Ed Barringer stayed on the property until the fire was extinguished. “They asked us to stay on the other side of the house, so we just stood over there and shook,” she said.

Ed Barringer lost his Mustang Convertible in the fire, along with tools, lawnmowers and several cords of firewood. “The bottom line is, nobody got hurt,” he said.

It was a fire to remember.

“I remember getting the call, I saw the fireball through the trees,” said Seth Miller, who was a firefighter-in-training at the time. It was only Miller’s second fire, the first being the Wilson barn fire in town.

The next day, Miller’s cousin Josh Lane, another long-time Litchfield resident and owner of “Custom Build,” visited and told the couple he could rebuild their barn. Gail Barringer knew Lane’s mother for years, and already had a working relationship with Lane. He was already going to redo the Barringer’s kitchen. Miller also works as a subcontractor for Lane when he’s not with the fire department.

The rebuilding process went smoothly.

“We contacted contractors, the insurance was very good, and within a week, gave us the ‘OK’ to rebuild,” said Ed Barringer.

Lane said he was able to do everything aside from setting the new foundation. “It was a great job, they were great to work with. It was a good experience,” he said.

“I think you can see why we are so connected to Litchfield and how much it means to live in a place where you are safe, protected, and can turn to your neighbors for help,” said Gail Barringer.

Ed Barringer said 90 percent of the barn was completed within a few months. Special orders such as custom windows held up progress, but the rebuild was completed by Christmas.

“It looks like it’s been here for awhile,” Nicoll said.

Tina Forbes can be reached at 594-6402 or tforbes@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Forbes on Twitter (@Telegraph_TinaF).