COLRAIN — A third-alarm blaze at Hager’s Farm on Merrifield Lane on Saturday morning destroyed one of the main barns, killed 39 animals and melted equipment.

Surveying the damage late Saturday afternoon, the Hagers — Kim, Sherry and Chip — said a friend called them while they were preparing for the day at the Franklin County Fair to alert them that their two-and-a-half story barn was on fire and firefighters were on their way.

Kim Hager said the farm lost four sows and 35 piglets, tractors, a baler, a snowmobile, a mower, its entire stock of Pioneer Valley Popcorn and countless other tools and pieces of equipment in the fire.

“It’s a lot of nostalgia,” Kim Hager said of the structure that was built in the mid-1800s. She thanked her friends and the Colrain Fire Department for quickly arriving to the scene because they were able to rescue her children’s rabbits and spray her home with protective foam, which most likely saved it from catching fire. The house stands just yards away from the barn.

According to Kim Hager, the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire most likely started due to an extension cord connection.

By the time they got there, David Kulp, a friend of the Hagers, recalled, the blaze was mostly finished. The fire was originally reported at 9:35 a.m., with multiple callers witnessing a large column of smoke in the area of Maxam Road, according to a post on the Colrain Firefighters’ Association’s Facebook page.

Kim Hager said they have insurance and they’ll work through the recovery process in the coming days.

“One step at a time,” she said, “we’ll figure it out.”

She said her sister took over operations at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, where the farm’s booth has been a mainstay for years. Organizers were collecting donations to support the farm at the information booth and at various event locations, including Sunday’s fried dough eating contest featuring dough provided by Hager’s Farm.

“The two owners were here to get this contest going,” said Robert “Bobby C” Campbell, who has been hosting the fried dough eating contest at the fair for 15 years. “They are very dear to my heart and I love them. That’s why I do this.”

Kim and Sherry Hager thanked their neighbors, all of the fire departments that responded and community members that have reached out to show their support.

According to the Colrain Firefighters’ Association’s Facebook page, mutual aid was requested from at least 15 communities. Colrain Ambulance, Eversource, the Colrain Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services also responded.

Despite the loss of their barn, the Hagers were in good spirits and were able to find at least a kernel of humor when Chip Hager cracked open one of the barrels of Pioneer Valley Popcorn to find the top layer had popped — and burned — giving them a quick laugh during a tough moment.

“One thing ends and another will begin,” Chip Hager said.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com. Reporter Julian Mendoza contributed to this article.