This hydraulic cylinder reportedly shot into the sky like a rocket at a pole barn fire near Chelsea Monday morning.
Courtesy of CAFA
A fire that burned a pole barn to the ground Monday morning near Chelsea was likely caused by a lightning strike, officials said.
The blaze caused an explosion in the barn while fire crews were at the scene and sent a hydraulic cylinder shooting up into the air like a rocket, said Fire Captain Derek Klink of the Chelsea Area Fire Authority.
There were no reported injuries.
Chelsea fire crews were called to a residence in the 1100 block of Pierce Road in Sylvan Township at 8:01 a.m. for reports of a barn fire. A neighbor said they saw a bolt of lightning connect with the pole barn on an adjacent property, Klink said.
When fire crews arrived at 8:07 a.m., the pole barn was fully engulfed with flames. There was also a loud explosion followed by a hydraulic cylinder being launched into the sky, according to Klink.
"It shot straight up in the air," he said.
Crews had the fire out by 8:35 a.m. and cleared the scene by 10:21 a.m. The barn, which was filled with various tools and machinery, was a total loss. Klink did not yet have any financial damage estimates.
While lightning is believed to have started the fire, it remains under investigation.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.