A fire destroyed a barn in North Yarmouth on Saturday, but crews from several area fire departments prevented the flames from spreading to two nearby homes – both within 75 feet.

North Yarmouth Fire Chief Greg Payson said a homeowner at 150 Royal Road reported the fire at 11:19 a.m. By the time firefighters got there, the 24-by-24-foot barn was engulfed in flames. It took about 20 minutes for crews from several surrounding towns to extinguish the blaze, but the building, which was used as a workshop, was a total loss.

“(The owner) had just gone into the house 20 minutes prior to get lunch and looked out and saw flames coming out of the garage,” Payson said.

The chief said crews had to haul in about 15,000 gallons of water from the Royal River nearly 4 miles away, as well as battle the wind and cold to fight the fire.

“It was probably in the worst part of town for a fire, because we have no hydrants in the area,” Payson said. “The cold and high winds made it challenging.”

Payson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but he believes it was caused by a wood burning stove that provided heat to the workshop. The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage, including upwards of $20,000 damage to equipment in the workshop, he said.

Nobody was injured, he said.