West Newbury goats rescued from barn fire must think local firefighters are the GOAT

A barn of alpacas and goats in West Newbury caught fire last night, but all animals inside at the time remained unharmed thanks to the West Newbury Fire Service, according to a news release.

WNFD responded to calls of a fire at 74 Maple Street around 8:30 p.m. last night. When they arrived on the scene, they discovered that the barn, which housed goats at the time, had caught fire.

The crew quickly extinguished the fire, saving the goats. No alpacas were in the barn.

Firefighters later determined the fire started in a compost bin adjacent to the barn.

The nearby Groveland Fire Department provided assistance with damage assessment. He found that the exterior shingles of the barn were the only part that had caught fire, but that there had been water damage inside from the rescue.

Georgetown, Newburyport and Merrimac Fire Departments also provided assistance.