Crews respond Thursday on storage container fire

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire that involved two storage containers on Thursday. The cause of the fire was linked to a malfunction with a space heater.

Banner Graphic/BRAND SELVIA

BELLE UNION — Fire crews were called out Thursday morning for a storage container fire in which personal items and furnishings were lost.

The Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department requested a box alarm at about 7:40 a.m. for a structure fire at 5019 E. CR 700 South. The Greencastle Fire Department then arrived to a working fire in two separate containers.

Taking a handline, firefighters made access to the unlocked container that was fully involved and quickly knocked down the fire inside it. The second container was exposed to radiant heat and was also smoking.

A window was broken to ventilate the smoke, after which firefighters forcibly gained entry to this padlocked container. It sustained minimal damage after the fire inside was extinguished.

The blaze as a whole was marked out by 8:30 a.m., after which overhaul was conducted.

In the meantime, as other units were disregarded, a tanker from the Cloverdale Township Volunteer Fire Department supported the water supply. Putnam County EMS and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office were also at the scene.

Jefferson Township Fire Chief Rick Cooper said the fire’s cause was determined to be a malfunction in a working space heater that was in the first container.

With the containers being close to a residence, no injuries or further damage otherwise were reported. Crews were back in service by 8:40 a.m.

According to Putnam County GIS, the property in question is listed to Gary and Sandra Frank.