A large barn at Brooks Farm, a popular family destination in Mount Albert, has burned to the ground. No one was hurt in the conflagration. It started late Wednesday afternoon and members of the Brooks family posting news and video to Facebook about the misfortune. Paul Brooks told Star reporter Miriam Lafontaine that he realized the barn was in flames while he was making supper for his two children, ages 7 and 8, around 5 p.m. “No sleep,” Brooks told Lafontaine early Thursday morning. “I’m fifth generation here, and my kids are sixth, so it’s been an emotional roller coaster losing so many valuable things to us.” The Mount Albert farm he runs with his wife, Kelly, is known for its fruit picking, maple sugar festival and market visited by locals in the area. The barn that burned down was a 150-year-old “party barn” used for storage.
