Shed, machinery lost in Mt. Hope fire
By Correne Martin
A large farm shed was a total loss in a fire that broke out before 10:30 a.m. Feb. 10, on the Dave Fisher farm on Kussmaul Road in Mt. Hope Township.
Fire departments from Mt. Hope, Patch Grove, Bloomington and Fennimore, and first responders and EMS from Woodman, West Grant and Lancaster responded to the scene.
Mt. Hope Fire Chief Rick French said there were no injuries or animals lost in the blaze. He surmised the source of the fire was a wood stove cooking in the shed. Most of the contents inside, including some machinery, were ruined. Amish family members on scene appeared to be salvaging what they could from inside, such as pieces of tin and poles.
“The roof was already in by the time we got there,” French said. “It took them some time to get to a neighbors to call in the fire.”
He added that the fire department hauled multiple loads of water to the scene, where they worked to cool the fire down amid below zero temperatures well into the afternoon.