Staff Writer

More than 20 cows were killed in Sunday's barn fire at the Mravlja dairy farm in Decatur, the family said Monday.

Betty Mravlja, who owns the farm with her husband, George, and their son Peter, estimated the head count of their herd at 58, after more than 20 heifers and young stock were killed in the blaze. The fire broke out in the hay barn in the second story of the structure Sunday at about 5:30 p.m., she said.

Worcester First Assistant Fire Chief Chris Lehenbauer said 21 young stock and one milking cow were lost in the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

Peter Mravlja was milking when he saw smoke from the fire, Betty Mravlja said. He got the majority of the herd out of the barn, located at 315 county Route 37, she said, out of "pure adrenaline."

"He collapsed as soon as he got them across the road," she said.

The fire, in a 150 by 40 foot barn, was fully involved when firefighters arrived at the scene, Lehenbauer said.

About 60 firefighters from Schenevus, East Worcester, Worcester, Westford and Richmondville were at the scene, he said. The biggest difficulties the firefighters had, he said, were the size of the building and the "jump that the fire had on us."

"We were lucky that we got the house and the outbuildings saved," he said.

Lehenbauer said the house had minimal structural damage.

Firefighters had the majority of the fire out within a couple of hours and were at the scene until at least 10 p.m. trying to get hot spots extinguished, he said.

One firefighter was cut by some barbed wire but was treated at the scene, he said.

Neighbors, area farmers and cattle dealers Harvey Banks of Schenevus and Darius Benson from Cobleskill helped transport the herd, she said. It took three hours, she said, to move the herd to an empty barn, two miles down the road, owned by former dairy farmer Fred Kersman.

"Cows are creatures of habit," she said. "They go the way they want to go and they're used to going."

Betty Mravlja said the barn and a tractor with a loader were completely destroyed, two silos were ruined, and that the house and garage were also damaged. The farm was insured, she said.

It was too early to get a monetary estimate on the losses, she said Monday.

"We don't even know everything that's missing yet," she said. "Today everybody's mind in a fog —we didn't even sleep last night."

The Mravljas have not decided whether they will rebuild the barn and keep farming, Betty Mravlja said Monday. The farm has been in their family since 1930, she said.

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Melissa Scram can be reached at mscram@thedailystar.com or (607) 441-7213.