POUGHQUAG – Several buildings and a propane delivery truck erupted in flames on Monday just before 1 p.m. Several fire departments were on the scene at Barton Orchards on Apple Tree Lane and several other departments throughout the county were relocating to surrounding stations, as of Monday at 1:30 p.m. The well-known orchard facility is in the Beekman hamlet of Poughquag.
An initial report indicated that there was a propane leak at one of the buildings where a Bottini Fuel propane truck was delivering the gas. A few minutes later, a fire official arrived on the scene and said that there was a fire at the building and it had extended to several other nearby structures. At 1 p.m., the fire command center at the orchard radioed to Dutchess County 911 that the propane truck was also fully engulfed in flames.
UPDATE: Fire departments from as far away as the Ulster Hose Company in the Town of Ulster have mobilized first responders and apparatus to battle the blaze.
Barton Orchards used social media to declare that no humans or animals had sustained injuries. At 3:00 p.m. the post said “We had a fire at the farm today. All of our employees and our animals are safe. We are thankful for fire and first responders who are still battling what is left of the fire. We will keep everyone posted.”
