Fire destroys home southwest of Roachdale
ROACHDALE -- Dozens of local emergency personnel helped battle a blaze at a rural Roachdale home late Sunday night and early Monday morning.
Already fully involved upon arrival of the first firefighters, the house at 9480 N. Meridian Line Rd. was destroyed by the fire.
The call went out to the Roachdale Fire Department at 11:34 p.m. on Sunday.
Fire Chief Mike Poole, who lives a couple of miles away, said he could see the flames from his house after receiving the call.
Arriving within three minutes of the call, Poole found flames already through the roof.
Scott Parrish, who had been renting the home, told investigators he had put wood in the fireplace before heading to bed.
Around 11:30 p.m., the family awoke to the sound of smoke detectors. As they exited the house, flames were showing right above the fireplace insert.
Fire quickly spread throughout the house, as five other departments were called to the scene to assist.
Poole said there were false ceilings in the house, which allowed the fire to spread through the attic more quickly, heavily damaging all parts of the home.
Joining Roachdale on the scene were firefighters from Bainbridge, Clinton Township, Russellville, Floyd Township and Greencastle, providing plenty of water for the effort with their tanker trucks.
Poole said the department was assisted in fighting the fire by hydrants in rural Franklin Township that are actually a credit to the Town of Bainbridge.
The town's well field is actually up near Raccoon in northern Franklin Township. With the water lines running the several miles to Bainbridge, a number of hydrants were placed along the route.
"That's the first time I think we've used those and it really helped," Poole said. "We only had to drive two miles instead of seven Miles to Roachdale or Bainbridge."
Other emergency personnel at the scene included Operation Life, Roachdale Police and the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.
The family of three got out safely and no firefighters were injured.
The American Red Cross also responded for any needs the family might have.
Additionally, Christy Menke of Hope Haven Horse Farm is accepting donations for the family. The family's older daughter Nikita Leatherwood, who moved out several months ago, is a Hope Haven employee. Additionally, mother Julie Parrish and younger sister Cheyenne have given many volunteer hours to the farm.
Menke is hoping to give back by helping the family at this time. She can be reached at cmenke@hopehavenhorsefarm.com.
For more information on the family's specific needs, visit the Parrish/Leatherwood family Facebook page.
The house was a complete loss, with Poole estimating $140,000 in damage.
Firefighters cleared the scene around 5 a.m.