HARTSGROVE TOWNSHIP – A Sunday morning, Dec. 28, fire inside a Hartsgrove Township barn destroyed the structure and the equipment inside and required help from multiple neighboring fire and rescue squads, but no one was hurt and no animals were lost.
The initial response arrived at 5:19 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 28, to 6205 State Route 534 in Hartsgrove Township, where the Hartsgrove Fire Department and South Central Ambulance District found the barn on fire, with the possibility that animals might be trapped inside, according to a statement from the Hartsgrove Volunteer Fire Department.
The on-scene commander immediately called for a second, then a third alarm to respond to what the statement characterizes as a “very large” barn fire.
Additional departments responding included Morgan Hose Co. Volunteer Fire Department, Wayne Township Fire Department, Bristol Fire Department, Windsor Township Fire Department, Middlefield Fire Department, Harpersfield Township Fire Department, Geneva Fire Department, Hambden Fire Department and Thompson Township Fire Department.
Hartsgrove’s Engine 441 and Tanker 435 were the first on scene at approximately 5:30 a.m. and used a deck gun and handlines to contain the blaze. Crews contacted the homeowner to confirm no one was inside the barn, given the initial report of possible entrapment.
More units arrived from Trumbull Township Fire and Rescue, Rome Fire Department and Mesopotamia Fire Department, and a water supply was established on Mechanicsville Road south of U.S. Route 6, and a dumpsite was set up on State Route 534 at the scene.
An adjacent structure within 20 feet of the barn was quickly protected with personnel and handlines to prevent fire extension.
According to the statement, due to the intensity and scale of the fire, all operations remained defensive.
The fire was brought under control at approximately 7:18 a.m. with additional manpower provided by Wayne, Hambden, Montville, Middlefield, Geneva, and other responding departments.
Toward the end of operations, Hartsgrove requested Middlefield Fire Department and its ladder truck a second time for additional support to ensure the structure was fully extinguished and to prevent rekindle, given the weather forecast for the following day.
There were no injuries or fatalities to residents, guests or animals, according to the statement.
The barn was a multistory structure containing machining equipment, vehicles, construction equipment – including an excavator and backhoe – tires workshop tools and miscellaneous items.
The Ohio State Fire Marshal was contacted and requested to investigate the scene. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
