To the editor:

At 5:55 p.m. July 10, lightning struck and ignited the barn and an adjacent structure filled with round hay bales on my farm near Gordonville, Mo. I wish to extend a sincere thank you to the dozens of volunteer firefighters from the fire departments of Whitewater, Gordonville, Delta and Millersville who responded to the call for help.

Due to the severity of the fire, we were not able to save those structures or any of the contents. But due to the firefighters' hasty arrival and their skilled work, they were able to save several nearby structures, one of which had ignited and was burning from the heat.

I wish to thank all the firefighters and anyone else who responded to help. You are all appreciated.

ERIN PEETZ

Gordonville, Mo.