Property in two pole barns, including lawn mowers, an RV and cars, were significantly damaged in a fire Monday night.
The Penn Township Fire Department responded to call at 60415 Bremen Highway at 6:30 p.m., May 5, were on the scene four minutes later and immediately conducted a defensive fire operation, Battalion Chief Matt Hamilton told The Tribune on Tuesday afternoon.
No one was injured in the fire and the owners of the property were out of town, he said.
The first pole barn was “mostly to fully involved,” Hamilton said, as the fire spread to the second barn. Penn firefighters — assisted by Mishawaka, Centre Township, Madison Township, Baugo Township and Cleveland Township fire departments — put out the fire from outside. No ladders were used, Hamilton said.
“Most of the metal roof had started to collapse or was showing signs of pending collapse, so we stayed out of the first one,” he said. As fire crews started to address the second pole barn fire, Hamilton said the fire affected the roof, so they fought the fire from outside the building as well.
Fire crews brough the fire under control by 7:40 p.m., Hamilton said.
A monetary value has not been determined for the property loss, he said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Hamilton said they’re not seeing evidence of arson at this time.
Hamilton said the state fire marshal through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is conducting the investigation because he’s never investigated a loss this large.
Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: ‘Large loss’ after fire destroys two pole barns on Bremen Highway, south of U.S. 20
Reporting by Camille Sarabia, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
