“It looked like a disaster,” he said. “The only fires we’ve dealt with that were this size were grain elevators and lumber yards.”

Sonnek said he didn’t know what caused the fire. He was expecting the fire marshal to arrive later Wednesday afternoon to start an investigation.

“I just want to thank all the firefighters who helped control the fire and save the one barn,” Sonnek said. “It was a bad fire and no one was injured, so it was a job well done.”