Firefighters Tackle Blaze at Former Schumacher Lumber Building in Hartville
No one was hurt, and no one was in the building when the fire started, said Hartville Fire Chief Mike Lorentz.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): An early morning on July 9 caused substantial damage to a vacant building that was part of the former Schumacher Lumber complex, the village's fire department said.
No one was hurt, and no one was in the building when the fire started, said Hartville Fire Chief Mike Lorentz.
The blaze at 200 Mill St. SE, reported by a passerby at 5:55 a.m., took about two and a half hours to get under control by more than 40 firefighters from eight fire departments, Lorentz said.
The fire severely damaged the structural supports and brought down part of the roof. The fire chief said the building cannot be salvaged, is not safe to enter and will have to be demolished.
Lorentz said the cause of the fire is unknown. A state fire investigator visited the scene July 9 to try to determine what led to the blaze.
The chief said when firefighters arrived around sunrise they saw intense flames and smoke coming from the center of the complex, which was difficult to reach. To connect hoses across streets to fire hydrants, firefighters had to close to traffic for more than four hours state Route 43 (Prospect Avenue S) and state Route 619, aka Maple Street.
Firefighters then attacked the fire from a ladder truck and from the south side of the complex.
Because active power lines were connected to the building and firefighters faced the risk of electrocution, Ohio Edison agreed to cut off electricity to that section of Hartville for about two hours. The village's fire station was among the customers to lose power.
Firefighters were at the site until late the afternoon of July 9 tending to hot spots.
Lorentz said the building, whose owner is listed as Big Oak Realty LLC of Sandy Township, had nothing of value and no occupants. The building in the fenced complex had abandoned equipment. The blaze did not reach adjoining buildings used as warehouses to store items nor the building at 127 Mill St. SE where consignment store Best Bib and Tucker is located.
The nearby Hartville Chocolate Factory posted pictures of the fire's aftermath taken by village residents Cory and Jordan Rockich.
Courtesy: www.the-review.com