Bethel Twp. house a ‘total loss’ after fire; lack of hydrants was key problem

No one was in the home or injured, Snyder said. There were items in the house, which may have been left behind by a previous owner.

Much of Bethel Twp. does not have fire hydrants, being far from a water source, Snyder said. The Park Layne and Crystal Lakes areas have several hydrants, Snyder said.

“The closest hydrant I had to go to to refill that tanker from that scene was down on National Road, but it was almost to the Springfield Twp. station,” Snyder said. “Or I’d have to go on the National Road and go all the way to the high school. The high school has their own hydrant because they have that water tower right there.”

Adding hydrants would be a challenge, he said.

The fire burned hot and fell in on itself, with the middle wall “protecting” the flames, Snyder said. This combined with limited water was challenging.

The destroyed home was recently sold to a Texas company, Snyder said. The fire’s cause is currently under investigation and the fire marshal was approached by a person who said “they’d been in the house a couple weeks ago and there were burn marks, like people were trying to light it,” Snyder said.