Cause under investigation after four departments fight Fletcher barn fire

FLETCHER, MIAMI COUNTY — UPDATE @ 4:12 a.m.:

Fire crews are searching for the cause of a barn fire reported around 12:30 a.m. on West Main Street in Fletcher, according to Fletcher Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Christopher Bashore.

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The assistant chief said that fire crews arrived on scene to find heavy smoke coming from the barn. He said that the heat from the inside was also already causing some discoloration on the siding.

Fletcher fire crews called in mutual aid from Casstown, Lockington and Johnson Saint Paris fire departments to help fight the fire.

Nobody was injured in the fire, Bashore said, and fire crews were still working through the interior of the garage looking for hot spots. This process was slowed, he said, due to the amount of internal damage and debris.

There were no animals in the barn.

UPDATE @ 3:10 a.m.:

A woman who said she was a friend of the owner told our crew on the scene that after going from cleaning the garage to check on her children, her daughter started screaming that the barn was on fire.

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The woman said she then ran to see, then warned the owner, who called the fire department.

She said that they didn’t know what caused the fire, but said that they were mostly worried about belongings from inside the garage like baby photos and her children’s hospital bracelets, as well as vintage motorcycle parts.

“At least it wasn’t the house and the kids are safe,” she said.

INITIAL REPORT:

Fire crews from multiple departments are responding to a report of a barn fire in the 400 block of West Main Street in Fletcher.

We are working to learn more and will update this story with any new information.