SHELBURNE — What could have been a devastating blow to a local farm was averted Sunday night due to quick reporting and a quick response from area firefighters.

The Shelburne Fire and Police departments responded to a fire at Gould farm’s dairy barn just off Route 2 on Sunday at 7:18 p.m. Multiple callers reported seeing smoke and flames while driving on Route 2, according to the Shelburne Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived at 7:21 p.m., they found a loader on fire inside the barn. They were able to control the fire within seven minutes and no animals were injured.

“We were all fortunate,” Fire Chief John Taylor wrote in a statement. “The early recognition, early reporting, that we happened to have some firefighters at the station at that time for training, and that the farm is less than a mile from the Fire Station allowed us a chance to stop the fire before it became overwhelming.”

While dispatchers initially called in mutual aid from Shelburne Falls, Colrain, Greenfield, Charlemont, Buckland, South Deerfield, Deerfield, Gill, Turners Falls and Bernardston, much of that assistance was canceled when the fire was “knocked down,” according to Taylor.

The cause of Sunday’s fire remains under investigation.

For more information about preventing vehicle fires, Taylor recommends visiting the National Fire Protection Association’s website at nfpa.org/downloadable-resources/safety-tip-sheets/car-fire-safety-tip-sheet.