Trustee says cause of Kingsville garage fire may never be known

July 18--KINGSVILLE TOWNSHIP -- Investigators continue to examine the scene of a Friday morning fire that destroyed Kingsville Township's road department garage and its fleet of vehicles, but an the blaze's exact cause may remain undetermined, Dennis Huey, township trustee, said Monday.

"It's the opinion of many the fire began in the (garage) addition, but we may never really know what started it," he said.

Firefighters from five departments were dispatched to the garage, located on Cemetery Road a short distance from Route 193, at 4:37 a.m. Friday. The original garage, built in 1961 was gutted, while an addition constructed in the rear in the 1980's was completely leveled.

An insurance adjuster was on scene Monday to begin assessing the dollar damage inflicted by the fire. The township lost its entire road and maintenance fleet to the blaze, including three dump trucks, a backhoe, front-end loader and mowing equipment.

On Friday, Neal Stewart, township fire chief and road superintendent, said the township lost "millions" of dollars worth of vehicles, machinery, equipment and tools.

Meanwhile, trustees are fielding numerous calls offering help from a wide range of communities and agencies, Huey said.

"We're getting several offers for free building space" to store equipment as it is replaced, he said. "The Ohio Department of Transportation is willing to loan us two snowplows this winter. We're thankful for all the offers."

The loss of the big trucks is critical because heavy dump trucks are usually built to order, a process that can take many months, township trustees have said. On Monday, Huey said the loan of plows "would be a big bonus."

Trustees have not decided on a course of action, saying more time is needed to assess all the offers of help.

"Everything's still in the works," Huey said. "It's still early. We need to decide which location is the best for the township."

Residents also continue to be helpful, Huey said.

"The community is just shocked," he said. "People have made us all kinds of offers."

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