On Wednesday morning, a fire on N. Cole Street destroyed the barn.

LIMA. Firefighters from more than half a dozen departments battled a barn fire in the Lima area on Wednesday morning that killed 35 cattle and five dogs.

The American town fire crews were dispatched around 7:15 a.m. to the residential building at 5150 N. Cole St. due to a fire in the building. Arriving firefighters found that the large barn was completely engulfed in flames. The flames were reportedly visible from afar.

“It seemed like the sun had risen, but not where it should have been,” a fire department spokesman said.

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Another nearby barn on property owned by Craig Troyer held more livestock but suffered only exterior damage. All cattle in the second barn were not affected.

The main structure was destroyed by fire and another barn suffered approximately $5,000 in damage. At the moment, the source of ignition is unknown, the fact of the incident is being investigated, a fire department spokesman said.

Mutual assistance was provided by firefighters from the departments of Lima, Beaverdam-Richland, Cairo-Monroe, Calida, Delphos, Columbus Grove and Bath Township.