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

Chief says much of Bethel Twp. lacks fire hydrants; house was recently sold to a Texas company, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation
Side view of Rescue 51. Photo courtesy of Bethel Township.

Side view of Rescue 51. Photo courtesy of Bethel Township.

A lack of fire hydrants in one area of Bethel Twp. created a challenge when firefighters responded to a vacant house fire around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Flames fully engulfed a home at the end of a dead-end street in the 4900 block of Alpha Road. Bethel Twp. called several tankers to the scene to provide water, but getting in and out of the area was a challenge, Bethel Twp. Fire Chief Jim Snyder said.

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.

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