By Staff
CASSOPOLIS - Tragedy stuck in the early morning hours today when the Barnswallow Theatre, 24010 Hospital Road, Cassopolis was destroyed by fire.
The fire possibly started in a storage barn nearby. When firefighters from Cassopolis arrived just before 1 a.m., that barn was gone and the Barn Swallow Theatre was 50 percent engulfed, according to Bill Fitzgerald, Cassopolis Fire Chief.
Both buildings burned to the ground and four vehicles were destroyed by the intense heat.
Fire departments from Edwardsburg, Penn, and Dowagiac assisted Cassopolis at the scene.
Barnswallow apartments were evacuated and the roof was sprayed with water to prevent the apartments from catching on fire.
The most recent production at the theatre was the "Barn Swallow Jamboree" on Saturday, Sept. 25.