Trio of Fires in Schulenburg
The Schulenburg Volunteer Fire Department stayed busy with three fires last weekend. The first call went out around 2:19 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, reporting a fire on US 77 just south of On Pointe Dance Studio. Fire Chief Darren Guentert said the first responding units found a pile of lumber on fire. Several other piles of lumber and structures were located nearby. The fire was quickly contained. The department responded with four quick response trucks, a tanker and command vehicle. They cleared the scene about an hour after arrival.
Later that evening around 7:26 p.m., SVFD got another call reporting a house fire west of Schulenburg on Hranicky Rd. Guenert said firefighters arrived within minutes and located a fire in the kitchen above the stove. One crew worked to extinguish the fire while another located and removed several pets from the home. Guentert said all of the animals were accounted for and brought to the home owners. The fire was contained to the kitchen and extinguished. The home suffered fire and water damage to the kitchen. The rest of the home was saved other than smoke damage, he said. Guentert thanked the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and Fayette County EMS for assisting at the scene.
On Sunday morning, around 6:29 a.m., 911 dispatchers got a call reporting a house on fire on Peters Rd. east of Schulenburg. The 911 center dispatched Schulenburg and Weimar fire departments since it was so close to the boundary of their service areas. Guentert said the first responding units discovered heavy smoke and fire on the back side of the house in an outdoor kitchen area.
“It looks like it started on the back porch, came up the wall and into the attic,” Guentert said. The Schulenburg and Weimar firefighters worked to contain the fire to that area of the house. They eventually extinguished the flames, but the home suffered water and smoke damage throughout. Unfortunately, Guentert said, at least one pet and possible others perished in the fire.
Guentert said firefighters worked to remove as many valuables as they could out of the home. Schulenburg VFD responded with six trucks and about 20 personnel. They cleared the scene around 10:30 a.m. Guentert wished to thank the Weimar VFD, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and Fayette County EMS for assisting at the scene.