Fire destroys building, equipment

A fire destroyed a wood-frame pole building on West CR 6 in Seneca Township on Sunday night. The fire at 1260 W. CR 6 was reported about 9:10 p.m., and personnel from Sycamore Volunteer Fire Department, NBS Joint Fire District, Bascom Joint Fire District, NBS EMS District, Seneca County Sheriff's Office and Seneca County Community Emergency Response Team assisted. Chief Rodney Clinger of Sycamore Volunteer Fire and Rescue said there had been equipment – including a semi, service truck and dump truck – and work space in the building. He said the building, which had a metal roof and metal siding and was insulated and heated, and contents were destroyed, and he estimated the loss to be at least $750,000. The property is owned by Jeffrey and Mackenzie Hayman, according to the Seneca County Auditor's Office's website. Jeff Hayman also owns Hayman Excavating, and the building is part of his business, which does excavating and tiling work, Clinger said. Clinger said State Fire Marshal's Office responded Monday morning, and the cause and origin are being ruled undetermined. It was nearly impossible to come up with an origin and cause because of the late stage of the fire when firefighters were summoned to respond, he said. There was no saving anything when they were paged, and the fire was already too far along, he said. Trucks shuttled water from a hydrant near US 224 and SR 53. Clinger said foam and water were used, and he estimated it took a couple of hours to get the fire under control because the roof was pretty much collapsed when firefighters arrived. It took about four and a half hours to extinguish the fire. Clinger said there were a lot of large oil drums in the building, and firefighters were concerned with runoff in a ravine. Seneca County Emergency Management Agency responded, and Clinger said officials were monitoring the situation to ensure there were no environmental concerns. No one was hurt in the fire.