'It's Gone:' Family Attempts To Recover After Fire Destroys Their Barn

The Nowakowski family has farmed this land for decades. In 2011, Robert Leo built this barn by hand. Now, at 78 years old, he's figuring out how to recover.

It's an unimaginable loss, says farmer Robert Leo. Around three this morning, he heard loud bangs and dogs barking and found sight of his barn packed with hay engulfed in flames.

Inside this barn, are thousands of bales of hay, ready to feed livestock across the state.

“Woah, I can't even imagine,” said Kenneth Robertson.

Longtime family friend Robertson stopped by today to check-in.

“His Mom and Dad used to go dancing about every Saturday night for years,” said Robertson. “It's gone. The only thing they can do is bury it and restart.”

Robert Leo's farm is known for its sweet corn that draws hundreds to McLoud each summer.

“It's those folks who sell that good, sweet corn, so there be a thousand people come and buy sweet corn off of me,” said John Greenlee, the next-door neighbor.

Greenlee saw it for himself, too, at season's peak; the family says they counted 106 cars lined up to buy their corn.

The sweet corn business stays intact. The barn's destruction will hurt Robert Leo's hay sales, another crucial part of his operations.

“I know it was full from the harvest from all summer long — it was full of hay,” said Greenlee.

McLoud firefighters say they will continue to let the hay burn for days. The fire will have to run its course before they can come in.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“Oh, they're good people, I just love them to pieces,” said Greenlee.

“They don't make them any better than the Nowakowski. They work 7 days a week,” said Robertson.