Three other departments were already on the scene when ‘Busco crews arrived, but extra hands were needed to help remove a large amount of burning hay from the burnt out structure.

Churubusco units cleared the scene at approximately 9:30 PM. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.

Churubusco fire crews help at a barn fire on Hiler Road just outside of Columbia City

Upon arrival they found injured parties in both vehicles complaining of pain and they were transported to area hospitals. Crews were on the scene for approximately 20min.

Crews arrived to find moderate smoke and fire inside the two story home.

The fire was under control in approximately 20 minutes, no one was injured but the home did sustain moderate to heavy smoke, fire and water damage.

Unfortunately during the incident, after much of the fire had been extinguished, the lead pump, 203, caught fire under the pump panel. Crews worked quickly to put out the small fire, but much of the wiring inside the truck was damaged.

The cause remains under investigation, but it’s believed to have started in the area of the chimney.

For the past several months a committee of five firefighters have been sifting through a stack of donation requests from around the country and the world. “We received somewhere around 25 or more”, said fire chief Roger Bennett. “Everywhere from Mexico, Arkansas to New Hampshire and Connecticut. There are a lot of departments in need” continued Bennett.

Before too long the committee narrowed it down to three Indiana departments and in the end Earl Park fire department in southwest Indiana won the donation.

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“Between the three finalist they seemed to be the most needy”, said committee member Bruce Shanabarger.

Currently the department doesn’t even have a truck to carry rescue equipment on, so they have to remove firefighting equipment from other trucks to make room.

“You have no idea how much this means to us” said Mark Jones a 4 year veteran of the department.

Just recently the area around Earl Park divided up their centralized rescue organization that is similar to an emergency management agency and dispersed equipment and trucks to local departments. “We ended up with a box truck that wouldn’t even fit in our station” said Tommy Bennett of Earl Park.

If handing over the truck wasn’t enough, they were given numerous water extinguishers, fire hose nozzles and other miscellaneous equipment to try and make their job a little easier.

We congratulate their department on receiving the gift and hope that it serves their community for many years to come!

Pump 201 arrived to find that the Whitley County Highway Department cut a 3″ gas line running along 375 North. A few homes were evacuated, but no further threat was posed to the nearby C&A complex or surrounding businesses.

Because of the time of day, lack of manpower and the warm temperatures, fire departments from Jefferson Twp, Columbia City, Columbia Twp. and Arcola were also called in to assist with the 4 hour blaze.

Crews battled not only heat and smoke from the structure, but a bit of a hot summer day. No one was injured in the fire. The cause is still under investigation.

Noble Twp. Fire Chief, Rob Davis, arrived on scene and the two-story home was already well involved and help was called for from Albion and Thorncreek Fire Departments.

According to police, 73 year-old Ralph Wiedman may have been overcome by smoke after he re-entered his home to retrieve keys to a pair of antique vehicles.

Chief Davis and Sheriff’s deputies tried to gain entry through the front door calling repeatedly for Wiedman but were turned away by smoke. The fire spread quickly through the home collapsing the first and second story roofs.

The Cromwell and Churubusco Departments were dispatched at 3:30 a.m. to provide manpower at the scene. The Engine crew from Churubusco was assigned to do a secondary search of the first floor. Minutes after their entry they located Wiedman in a living room at the front of the house, but it was too late.

Wiedman’s wife told authorities she had been roused by a barking dog and heard a smoke detector going off. She got her husband up and they left the residence calling emergency responders.

Shortly after, Mr. Wiedman re-entered the home and was unable to make it out.

Firefighters were able to battle the blaze on the first floor from inside but were cut off from the second story after the roof collapsed. Ground ladders were used from the exterior of the home to reach the second story blaze and bring the fire under control. Departments from Columbia Twp. and Kendallville were called to the scene with manpower to rotate crews as they battled cold temperatures as well.

The State Fire Marshal’s office ruled the fire accidental. A space heater at the rear of the home was the cause of the fire, igniting a carpet on fire. Churubusco firefighters remained on the scene dousing hot spots until they were released by Noble Twp. at 7:30 a.m.

The incident was investigated by the Noble County Sheriff’s Department, Noble County Coroner’s Office and the State Fire Marshal.

*Photo and story contributed by Churubusco News