MONROE COUNTY - JULY 21, 2022 - Monroe Fire Protection District responded to two structure fires this afternoon.
All photos courtesy photos Monroe Fire Protection District
Around 1:30pm this afternoon Stations 25, 24 and Battalion 29 were dispatched to a vehicle fire near a barn on Hackers Creek Rd in the Morgan-Monroe Forest area. While units were enroute to the call dispatch provided additional information informing units that the fire had spread from the vehicle to a barn full of hay, and that one individual had burn injuries. With the updated information and the extreme temperature outside today Battalion 29 requested two additional stations and a water tender from Washington Twp Fire Department in Morgan County. A helicopter was requested by IU Health Lifeline Ambulance crew while enroute to the scene in case the burn patient needed to be flown to a burn unit.
Engine 25 arrived on scene and reported a fully involved barn and pickup truck fire. Engine 25 also reported that a second barn was beginning to catch fire. Firefighters pulled hose lines and worked on stopping the fire was spreading into the second barn while other firefighters began providing medical care to the individual with reported burns. As additional firefighters arrived on scene, they were able to limit the spread of fire into the second barn to only minor damage. IU Health Lifeline Ambulance arrived on scene and checked on the burn patient. The patient did not want to go to the hospital for their injuries and remained on scene.
Firefighters worked on the scene for a few hours removing debris to extinguish hot spots, and rotating crews in and out due to the extreme heat. The pickup truck and hay barn were a total loss.
The cause of the fire was ruled accidental due to an equipment failure. The pickup truck by the barn was a paint truck full of paint and spray equipment. One worker was reported to be by the truck when there was some type of explosion causing a fire on the truck. The fire quickly engulfed the truck spreading to the grass and barn full of hay.
Just before 6pm this evening Stations 29, 39, 23, 22 and Battalion 29 were dispatched to S Garrison Chapel Rd for a garage fire. Shortly after pulling out of the station Engine 29 reported a visible smoke column in the sky which was approximately three miles away from the incident. Battalion 29 requested an additional water tender from Station 25 and Tenders from Center-Jackson Fire Territory and Beech Creek Township Fire Department in Greene County.
Engine 29 arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a detached garage. Crews pulled lines off and began working on extinguishing the fire. When additional firefighters arrived metal cutting saws were used on the garage doors to gain a larger access hole into the garage as the roof was already partially collapsed. Once the garage doors were removed firefighters were able to finish extinguishing the main body of fire. Firefighters then worked on checking for hot spots in the garage. The garage was covered in sheet metal which made getting some hot spots difficult as the metal was holding the heat in and firefighters had to keep pulling sheet metal off before the fires could be extinguished.
The cause of the fire is accidental from equipment failure. The homeowner stated they had mowed the yard. When they finished, they backed a vehicle out of the garage, pulled the mower in and parked it, and then pulled the vehicle back into the garage. They then went around the house and sit on the front porch. While sitting on the front porch they heard a boom but did not know what it was. They then heard a second boom and walked around to the back of the house to investigate when they noticed smoke coming from the garage. The garage and all equipment and vehicles inside were a total loss.
Monroe Fire Protection District would like to thank Washington Township in Morgan County, Center-Jackson Fire Territory and Eastern-Beech Creek Township in Greene County, and IU Health Lifeline Ambulance service for their assistance on both structure fires today.
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