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Home destroyed in protracted Tuesday blaze
BELLE UNION — A home in Jefferson Township was destroyed in a Tuesday blaze that took personnel from multiple fire departments several hours to control.
The Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department was initially dispatched to 8763 S. CR 925 East at about 2:15 p.m. for a fully engulfed shed beside a home.
Jefferson Township Fire Chief Rick Cooper and an engine arrived to a shed that was already burned, with another one about 10 feet from the home that ignited. A box alarm was requested at about 2:50 p.m. as the home became involved.
Apparatuses and manpower came from the Cloverdale Township volunteers, as well as the Stilesville Volunteer Fire Department and the A&A (Adams and Ashland townships) Volunteer Fire Department in Morgan County. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Putnam County EMS were also at the scene.
Cooper related that the high peak of the home and its large attic space made getting after extensions difficult.
“The type of construction was a major contributing factor,” Cooper said. “The chimney that was up there was a major stumbling block, too, because we were afraid it would come down, so it was better left alone.”
While the chimney remained intact, firefighters pulled out from an interior attack as the roof finally collapsed shortly after 4 p.m.
Additional tankers and manpower came afterward from the Reelsville and Fillmore volunteers and the Greencastle Fire Department. Meanwhile, Hendricks Power arrived and cut off power to the home.
Water was shuttled from Cloverdale Township Fire’s station, Eminence and a hydrant located at the intersection of County Road 675 East and State Road 42.
Meanwhile, embers from the fire caught a wooded stretch that was next to a standing cornfield. Using its UTV, Cloverdale Township Fire kept at this fire for two hours and spent nearly 1,000 gallons of water.
A backhoe was ultimately used for the overhaul of the debris.
“We thought it (the wind picking up) was gonna be overnight, and we wanted to put out as much as we could of it,” Cooper said.
The American Red Cross was called to assist the displaced renters, while Putnam County CERT came out with refreshments. The Cataract Volunteer Fire Department covered Cloverdale Township Fire’s station in the meantime.
After the fire was tapped out, all units were marked back in service by 8:45 p.m. All told, it took about six-and-a-half hours and 55,000-60,000 gallons of water to tackle the fire.
While the renters and personnel were not hurt in the incident, Jefferson Township Fire reported that two cats and one dog were unaccounted for.
It was determined that paper was being burned in the yard without a barrel or a fire ring. Burning leaves around the sheds then led to them catching on fire.
“Everybody did a tremendous job working with what we had to work with,” Cooper said. “It was extremely difficult conditions and everybody did a fantastic job, and I do mean that.”
With flare-ups a concern, though, going into another windy day, crews from Jefferson Township, Cloverdale Township, Stilesville and Coatesville were called to the home at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. The sheriff’s office and EMS also returned.
The home’s center part collapsed, though the chimney and part of a wall remained after firefighters tackled the flare-up. They went back into service at about 8:40 a.m.
According to Putnam County GIS, the property on which the home stood is listed to Vinod Gupta.