On The Job - Ohio: Multi-Alarm Fire Destroys Wauseon Historic Buildings

On April 14, 2007, a multiple-alarm fire destroyed four historic buildings in downtown Wauseon, OH. The block of buildings was constructed in the late 1880s. The two-story structures were constructed of heavy timber and brick. Each building had been remodeled numerous times over the past 100 years, leaving many voids in which the fire was able to travel. Roofs consisted of many layers of rubber and tar. Multiple roof lines were present with various cocklofts available for fire extension. This fire would become one of the largest fires in the history of northwestern Ohio.

A police officer reported light smoke in the area of the 100 block of North Fulton Street and requested that the fire department be dispatched. The Wauseon Fire Department was dispatched at 2:03 A.M. to a reported structure fire at Doc Holiday's, a bar/restaurant at 133 North Fulton St., mid-block between Welles Bowen Realtors and Shaw's clothing. It was 25 feet wide and 140 feet deep, containing 3,500 square feet of usable space.

Responding on the first alarm were Engine 802, a 1,500-gpm pumper; Engine 806, a 1,500-gpm pumper; Ladder 808, a 100-foot aerial platform with a 2,000-gpm pump; Squad 801; and Medic 8 with 18 firefighters under the command of Chief Marvin Wheeler. Medic 8 was first on scene and reported smoke showing from 133 North Fulton St. Wheeler arrived on scene and established command. Engine 802 arrived on scene at 2:07 and was positioned in front of Shaw's at 137 North Fulton St. Ladder 808 was positioned in front of Doc Holiday's. A 100-foot five-inch line was laid from a hydrant at the corner of Elm and Fulton Streets to supply Engine 802. A 100-foot five-inch line was stretched from Engine 802 to Ladder 808 for water supply. There were no life-safety concerns as there were no residential units in any of the buildings in the block and the bar/restaurant had closed at 1:30 A.M.

Wheeler requested mutual aid at 2:06 A.M. The Archbold Fire Department responded with Engine 101, a 2,000-gpm pumper and Ladder 108, a 85-foot elevated platform with a 1,500-gpm pump; the Delta Fire Department sent Engine 203, a 1,500-gpm pumper, Engine 209, a 1,250-gpm pumper, and Heavy Squad 201; the Lyons Fire Department responded with Engine 406, a 1,250-gpm pumper, and Heavy Squad/Pumper 401, a 1,250-gpm pumper; the Fayette Fire Department dispatched Engine 303, a 1,500-gpm pumper, Squrt 307, a 55-foot TeleSqurt with a 750-gpm pump, and Heavy Squad 301; the Ridgeville Corners Fire Department responded with Engines 903 and 904, both 1,250-gpm pumpers, and Heavy Squad 907; the Liberty Center Fire Department sent Engine 502, a 1,500-gpm pumper; and the Napoleon Fire Department dispatched Engine 803, a 1,250-gpm pumper, and Ladder 808, a 100-foot aerial ladder with a 2,000-gpm pump. The Morenci, MI, Fire Department was asked to send its rapid intervention team and additional manpower.

Engine 806 was positioned on Elm Street. Wauseon Assistant Chief Fred Allen was assigned to the rear of the structure and reported heavy fire was venting from the second story windows of Doc Holiday's. The crew from Engine 802 made forcible entry into the front of Doc Holiday's and advanced a 200-foot 1¾-inch attack line into the first floor. Light smoke was reported, but no fire was found. The crew forced open a door leading to the second floor and encountered moderate smoke while proceeding to the second floor. Forcing open a door at the top of the stairs to the bar/banquet room, the crew encountered heavy smoke and heat conditions. Another crew of firefighters advanced another 200-foot 1¾-inch attack line from Engine 802 to the second floor as a backup to the first crew.

The aerial was extended to the roof and the crew proceeded to the roof for ventilation. Before the roof crew could begin ventilating, they reported fire through the roof at the rear of the building. Knowing the construction of the building and that heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) units were on the roof, Wheeler ordered the interior crews out of the building. After the interior crews had exited the building, Ladder 808 placed its aerial master stream into operation in the area where the fire was venting through the roof.

Defensive operations were initiated at 2:23 A.M. Archbold Engine 108 and Ladder 101 were assigned to the rear of the building. Due to the number of high-voltage electric lines at the rear of the buildings, Archbold's aerial could not be placed into operation until after the electric company had shut down power in the area. The crew from Engine 101 laddered the rear of Doc Holiday's with a 30-foot ladder and placed a 2½-inch attack line into operation from Engine 108. This engine was supplied by a 200-foot five-inch line from a hydrant at the corner of Elm and Clinton streets.

As additional mutual aid departments arrived, manpower was assigned to salvage operations in the realty office, computer store, church, photography studio and clothing store. A ventilation crew was assigned to the roof of the realty office to perform trench-cut operations in an effort to stop the fire spread to the south. Firefighters from Wauseon, Delta and Lyons placed a 35-foot ladder at the front of the realty office. Proceeding to the roof with a 2½-inch handline, the crew used a K12 saw to perform the trench cut. This crew reported that the fire had already extended into the reality building at 131 North Fulton St. An interior crew operating on the second floor of the realty office reported fire on the second floor. The roof crew moved to the adjoining Hammontree building and breached the wall to attempt extinguishment. The electric company arrived on scene and shut down power in the area.

Archbold's aerial was placed into operation, supplied by a 300-foot five-inch line from a hydrant at Depot and Clinton streets. Napoleon Ladder 808 was positioned on Fulton Street and placed into operation supplied by a 400-foot five-inch line from a hydrant in the 100 block of South Fulton St. Fayette Squrt 307 was directed to set up in the alley behind the clothing store, but due to rapidly deteriorating conditions, they were repositioned to the rear of the health food store on Elm Street. A crew ventilating the roof of the clothing store found that the fire had already extended into the store.

At 8:30 A.M., the public works administrator informed command that if the current water flow was maintained for another hour, the city water system would be depleted. It was determined that a large-scale water shuttle would be needed to maintain the water flow. To support the shuttle, 28 tankers were requested from 24 departments in Ohio and Michigan. Two dump sites were established each using four, 3,000 gallon portable tanks. One was established at Elm and Clinton streets with Wauseon Engine 807 and Lyons Engine 401 drafting. Five-inch and three-inch supply lines were laid to the fireground to supply Fayette Squrt 307, Fayette Engine 303, Whitehouse Ladder 857 and Archbold Engine 108. Morenci Firefighter Robert Mohr was assigned to coordinate the shuttle operations at this dump site.

A second dump site was established two blocks east of the fire at Franklin and Elm streets. Two five-inch lines were laid to supply aerial devices from Wauseon, Napoleon and Defiance. Ridgeville Chief Dexter Benecke was assigned as water supply officer at this dump site. Four tanker fill sites were established. A hydrant at CR 19 and SR 2, five miles away, was used with water being supplied by Archbold's municipal system. Bryan Engine 21, a 1,500-gpm pumper, and Jewell Engine 601, a 1,000-gpm pumper, were sent to the Wauseon Reservoir 2½ miles away and established two drafting operations. The third fill site was established by Hudson, MI, Engine 82-5 at a private pond on CR J, five miles away. The fourth fill site was established at North Star Steel Co. five miles away using a hydrant on a 36-inch water main running from Lucas County. Once the shuttle operations were established, each apparatus operating off the city water system was weaned off city water to the shuttle supplies. Archbold Ladder 101 was the only apparatus that was left on the city water system.

At 11:30, officials became concerned over the stability of the north wall of the corner building at 141 North Fulton St. The wall had been repaired several times over the years and it was felt that it could fall outward. It was decided to have a contractor tear down the corner building.

By late afternoon, water consumption had been reduced to the point that the tanker shuttle could be released. All mutual aid companies had been released by 6 P.M. Wauseon units returned to station at 8 P.M. Ladder 808 remained on scene throughout the night monitoring hot spots. This unit left the scene at noon the following day.

A total of 3,114,700 gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire. Wauseon's municipal water system supplied 2.2 million gallons; Delta's water system supplied 500,000 gallons and the tanker shuttle provided 614,700 gallons. Firefighters laid 1.7 miles of five-inch line to various locations in the city to supply water to the fire ground. Six aerial devices, 15 engines and 28 tankers were used to battle the fire. An investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office determined that the fire was incendiary in nature. Damaged or destroyed was the building of fire origin and five exposures. Damage was estimated at approximately $5 million.

Two days after the fire, the Wauseon Fire Department held a roundtable discussion in which all of the departments were invited to attend and discuss the entire incident. This allowed for ideas and information regarding the entire operation to be shared, and was helpful in capturing some of the activities that went on outside of the fireground, since much was going on outside of the fire itself:

• Accountability -- Multiple departments using several different accountability systems made it difficult to maintain accountability on a large scale. Accountability is to be maintained at all times. As the incident progressed into late morning and early afternoon, span of control became a factor. There were many more firefighters on the fireground than any one officer should be responsible for. All personnel were accounted for in the initial staging area, but conducting a personnel accountability report (PAR) toward the end of the day would have been a problem. The command structure should have been sectored off early into this incident instead of trying to play catch-up later in the morning. It would have been easier to reduce the amount of sector chiefs and officers rather than try to implement the system as the incident grew.

• Pre-planning -- Pre-planning was an important part of the successful outcome of this incident. The department had toured two of the four structures that burned as part of a pre-plan drill night within the previous year. Firefighters had also conducted aerial placement and tactics training at Doc Holiday's. An established pre-plan for this area of the downtown includes water supply availability and the placement of mutual aid apparatus. During pre-planning, construction methods were identified and documented. It was also extensively covered during the pre-plan training that these buildings have been remodeled several times and contained many false ceilings and walls.

  One factor not covered in pre-planning was the fact that the municipal water system would be depleted so quickly. This was overcome by enlisting the help of several departments with the capabilities to shuttle water. Command of the water shuttles was given to chiefs and officers from the departments that arrived from the outlying areas. They were more familiar with what equipment was sent and the people responding.

• Communications -- Having fire departments responding from five counties in Ohio and additional departments in Michigan created communications problems as the counties operate on different frequencies. Fulton County radios were distributed to division commanders and they communicated with their personnel on other radios. The new Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS) developed in Ohio was used.
• Safety -- Despite the problems with accountability, numerous departments that had never trained together or in some cases never communicated with one another mitigated a major incident. Everyone understood the others' terminology, tactics and safety practices. Much of this success can be attributed to standardized training and the fact that most departments do a good job of teaching, "Safety above all else."
• Teamwork -- Beside the fire departments, many other agencies contributed to the success of this incident. Fulton County Emergency Management Agency Director Bob Hartman was instrumental in coordinating many of the non-fire-related activities that went on during this incident. The Fulton County American Red Cross served hot meals to all personnel. Donations of food, beverages and dry socks were brought to the scene by members of the community.
• Staging area -- A staging area for firefighters and equipment was established early and provided firefighters when tasks needed to be done.
• Salvage operations -- Due to the nature of the construction that was involved, command correctly predicted the fire spread to the other buildings. Decisions were made early to use manpower from the staging area to enter buildings that were not yet involved to retrieve as much property as possible from these businesses. Firefighters saved business records, personal belongings, equipment and other items that were invaluable to those affected by this fire. Wedding dresses were saved from Shaw's, photos and negatives of countless events from around Wauseon and the surrounding area were saved from a photo shop, and religious articles were saved from a church.
• Training -- Including mutual aid departments in past training with extra-long large-diameter hose lays was beneficial. Knowledge of the municipal water system and its capabilities proved invaluable during the incident. The department also trains on tactics and construction practices. While it is important to know what equipment/manpower is available in the towns that a department normally works with, this fire showed how important it is to have an understanding of what equipment/manpower is available from beyond those departments.

Since this incident, many other area departments have started to look at their own downtown areas. Northwest Ohio has many downtown areas with turn-of-the-century buildings with the same construction features that were encountered in this incident. Mutual aid plans are being evaluated and departments from outside of normal mutual aid jurisdictions are being included in the plans.

Firehouse® Magazine thanks Chief Marvin Wheeler and Assistant Chief Rick Sluder of the Wauseon Fire Department and Firefighter Richard Browne of the Perrysburg City Fire Division for providing information for this article.

JAY K. BRADISH/IFPA, Firehouse® news editor, is a former captain in the Bradford Township, PA, Fire Department. He has been a volunteer firefighter and fire photographer for more than 25 years.