SPANISH FORK — When J. Lynn Partridge saw flames licking up the sides of his barn, he immediately thought vandals had targeted his property.
"A barn won't engulf itself unless it's lit," he said. "It was pretty obvious what's going on."
The fire, which Partridge said started about 4 a.m. Friday, destroyed several cars, a motorhome, a baler, a front-end loader and about 800 tons of straw and alfalfa.
Utah County Fire Marshal Dennis Barker estimates about $500,000 in damage — but that figure might be low because insurance reports are still incomplete.
Barker said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
"We don't have proof yet," he said. "We are following up some leads."
Motorists who passed Partridge's house at 1050 W. 6400 South at 4:15 a.m. alerted the family to the barn fire. Partridge ran outside his house to see the barn consumed by flames.
Partridge and his 15-year-old son, J. Ryan, rushed to salvage all the equipment they could. As they pulled objects from the burning structure, propane cases and gas tanks started to ignite and explode around them.
"Boom! Boom!" Partridge said, imitating the sounds he heard. "It was like Beirut over here with vehicles blowing up."
Firefighters from departments all over Utah County arrived to fight the blaze, and neighbors also came to lend a helping hand, Partridge said. But even with the army of firefighters and volunteers, the fire wasn't contained until 8 a.m.
On Monday, Partridge walked around the burned-out shells of cars and farm equipment. Dried puddles of aluminum and melted glass lay scattered in the dust. Partridge's hands were still blistered from the heat as he recounted all the tools and equipment his family lost.
"Whoever did it doesn't know what kind of hell they're creating," he said.
He also said witnesses who passed the house around 4 a.m. said they saw no flames, which means the fire turned into an inferno within 15 minutes.
While investigators continue to search for the cause of the fire, the Partridge family is left with the task of cleaning up.
"It's gonna take months to clean up," he said. "And the equipment I need ... is all burned up. Catch-22."
The Partridge family said they're grateful for all the firefighters for their efforts.
E-mail: jdana@desnews.com