PUSLINCH -- A barn fire was hard to miss for anyone in and around the Puslinch area Friday evening.

Fire crews were called out to the Wellington Road 32 scene before 5 p.m. As of Saturday, they have yet to confirm what caused the flames or the cost of the damage.

“I could slightly see the smoke and, during my two minute drive to pass it, there were black barrels,” said Denise Johnston. “I could definitely see the flames over the trees at that point, so it went up in a matter of seconds.”

The barn was used for housing chickens, but no animals or people were inside at the time.

“It was really, really insane,” said Toni Griffin. “As I drove by slowly I rolled my window down and I could feel the heat from the flames, and I was quite far off the road.”

She adds that she saw a couple of ambulances pass her on the road as the smoke kept getting thicker the closer she got.

“By the time I got there it was already engulfed in flames,” said Johnston. “There’s probably a dozen people pulled over.”

A witness claiming to be the owner of the barn says it was over 20 years old and is unsure if the insurance will be able to cover it.

They add that the family is figuring out what to do with another shipment of chickens supposed to be on the way to the property.