Fri Jul 30 2010
by Laura Freeman
Reporter
Hudson -- Six city vehicles and other electrical devices were damaged in an overnight fire April 28 at a city storage building on Morse Road at Owen Brown Street.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire Chief Bob Carter said it appears to be accidental.
A damage estimate was not immediately available, and an insurance company was determining if the damaged vehicles were still salvageable at press time. No one was injured.
Carter said there was some structural damage to parts of the building, and the insurance company will determine the loss.
City employees reporting to work at 7 a.m. April 28 discovered smoke in the 12,000-square-foot building built in 1986 where their vehicles were stored. The fire apparently started overnight and had burned itself out by morning.
"They public power employees were reporting to work and opened the door," said City Communications Manager Jody Roberts. "Smoke billowed out, and they called the fire department."
The fire department responded and found heavy smoke and a small fire smoldering against the inside of the rear wall of the metal building, Roberts said.
A 4-by-5-foot hole burned through the west wall of the building, but it faces the railroad tracks, and no one reported seeing flames, Roberts said.
Other structure issues included bent beams from the heat of the fire.
Carter said the hole was created when a fiberglass panel melted away from the heat of the fire, which was nearby.
The fire was completely extinguished by 7:16 a.m., and the fire department ventilated and overhauled the fire area until nearly 11 a.m., Carter said.
Because the electrical power was disconnected, the fire department provided lighting and assisted in the investigation of the fire.
All six vehicles were smoke damaged, but the extent of heat and smoke damage has yet to be determined, Roberts said.
Two digger trucks, two bucket trucks, a dump truck, pickup truck and transformers, regulators, wire and other electrical equipment were damaged in the fire, Roberts said.
Once the equipment is cleaned off and examined, the city will determine how much damage has been done. Equipment away from the site of the fire appeared to be less impacted.
"The vehicles are charred black, but it may only be smoke and heat damage," she said. "The vehicles did not catch fire."
An insurance company will determine if the vehicles need cleaned, repaired or replaced, Robert said.
The damage will be covered by the insurance company, she added.
"We need to inventory everything in the building to determine what is damaged," she said.
Hudson Public Power has additional trucks in its fleet stored in other buildings and was able to respond to a power outage April 28, the same day as the fire.
"I think we're in pretty good shape, except for the bucket trucks and underground transformers," Roberts said, "We can get through with everything else."
Roberts said the two diggers, which are big trucks that dig new holes and lift utility poles into place, are out of commission for now, but Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Power has offered to help if the city needs any trucks.
The city may rent vehicles in the interim before it can repair or replace any damaged vehicles, Roberts said.
The city also can ask for mutual aid from AMP-Ohio communities or First Energy, which Hudson Public Power has helped in the past.
Hudson Public Power's ability to provide service to its customers should not be impacted, Roberts said.
E-mail: lfreeman@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3150
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