JEFFERSON TWP — Careless burning was blamed for an accidental fire Monday evening that destroyed a large barn on Heller Road.

No one was injured, and the two-story barn was already in disrepair when it went up in flames shortly before 6 p.m., said Chief Chris Ballina of the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company.

The 60-foot-by-40-foot wood barn, which had a sandstone foundation, was owned by Virginia Pease, who lives at a home on the same property, authorities said. Her grandson was visiting and helping do cleaning work when the fire started.

“He was burning stuff behind the barn and he was not watching it,” Ballina said of the grandson. “He was burning just five feet (from the barn).”

Once the fire ignited the barn, the flames quickly spread.

“Dry timber, old barn, old wood,” Ballina said. “That's why it took off like it did.”

Ballina was the first firefighter on scene, within five minutes of the grandson's 911 call. It was still too late.

“It was fully involved and falling in when I pulled in,” Ballina said.

The high-climbing fire burned a couple trees nearby as firefighters used a tanker shuttle to ensure a sufficient water supply.

A damage estimate was not available. The barn, which was dilapidated before the fire, had been used in recent years to store items of little if any value, authorities said.

Assisting the Saxonburg VFC were firefighters from Penn Township, Herman, South Butler, Winfield Township and Sarver.