Thursday, April 14th, 2022
35 firefighters battle blaze
No injuries in early morning inferno
By Erin Gardner
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Flames shoot out the southwest corner of a machine shed at 6391 Clover Four Rd. in Celina around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
MONTEZUMA- A metal machine shed that caught fire early Wednesday morning at 6391 Clover Four Rd., Celina, has been declared a total loss, according to Montezuma Fire Chief Lee Braun.
No injuries or deaths were reported and foul play is not suspected, Braun said.
Six fire departments and more than 30 firefighters were called to the blaze that was reported at 12:11 a.m. Wednesday by property owner Kathy Wolters, who said the detached machine shed had caught fire. Wolters and her husband, Bill, own the shed and live at the address.
When firefighters arrived at the 40-foot by 80-foot structure, flames were coming from the southeast corner and front of the shed, Braun said. The fire reportedly spread through the first 25 feet of the building. The remainder of the the shed did not catch fire, but because the rafters sustained heat damage, the building could not be saved, he said.
Initially Montezuma, Coldwater and Chickasaw fire departments were called to the scene, Braun said, but more tankers and personnel were called later to help tamp down the flames.
"Once we got there with that front section corner being fully engulfed, we worked on it for probably 40 minutes," Braun said. "I called in St. Henry for manpower and tankers and then we were running low on water. I called in Osgood and St. Marys Township for tankers."
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Coldwater firefighters fight the fire through a window. Departments from Montezuma, Chickasaw, Coldwater, St. Henry, St. Marys and Osgood responded to the fire.
A total of 35 firefighters responded and they got the fire under control in an hour to an hour and a half, Braun said. They remained at the scene for four and a half hours, he said.
The fire started in the southeast corner of the shed, Braun said. A tractor and a skid loader inside were lost to the flames. Firefighters managed to save other tractors, planters, a combine and machine tools, he said.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, Braun reported. Both the building and contents were insured, he said.
Braun said if he had to guess, the shed sustained about $70,000 in damage and about $50,000 in damage to the contents.
Braun said Montezuma, Chickasaw, Coldwater, St. Henry, Osgood and St. Marys Townships fire departments responded with 13 trucks and six tankers. Montezuma, Chickasaw and Coldwater fire departments each brought three trucks and one tanker, St. Henry firefighters bought two trucks and one tanker, the St. Marys Township department brought one truck and a tanker and Osgood firefighters responded with one truck and one tanker.
Wednesday's blaze marks the second fire at the address in almost a year.
On June 24, 2021, a detached barn at the same address caught fire and was declared a total loss. No injuries or deaths were reported and no foul play was suspected in that fire.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
A group of firefighters help each other with their oxygen tanks at a machine shed fire at 6391 Clover Four Rd. near Celina early Wednesday morning.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Coldwater firefighters spray water on a machine shed that caught fire early Wednesday morning. A total of 35 firefighters responded to the scene.
