ST. ALBANS — Fire destroyed a three-story farmhouse and killed farm animals Tuesday afternoon at 180 Ballard Road in St. Albans, according to officials.

The farmhouse’s residents were not home when the fire began, according to Deputy Chief Jamie Cooper of the St. Albans Fire Department.

Cooper said Wednesday the fire was reported at about 3 p.m., and two animals, possibly chickens, were killed in the blaze.

The rural setting required water be shuttled from one tanker to another to extinguish the flames, Cooper said.

The cause of the fire was not clear Wednesday, according to Cooper, who said the Office of State Fire Marshal was investigating the blaze.

Firefighters from several other communities, including Corinna, Dexter and Hartland, responded to the fire.

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