By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

The Eckleberry Poultry building fire was the talk of the town at the end of November and it became the center of attention once again Tuesday night.

The Bucyrus City Council invited acting Bucyrus Fire Chief Captain Gordon Grove to its meeting for an update that ravaged the building on South Spring Street on Nov. 29.

The Bucyrus Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at 823 S. Spring St. at 1:57 p.m. on Nov. 29. Upon arrival, Grove reported, light smoke could be seen coming from the structure and off-duty personnel were paged to assist in the fire. Firefighter Barry Herschler was the initial responding officer and Lt. John Schiefer was the first off-duty officer to arrive. Schiefer shared the command duties with Herschler.

Firefighters made entry into the building from the south side and conducted a search of the apartment area. Though no one was found in the building at the time, firefighters came across heavy smoke. They continued to the second door and found the ceiling to be completely engulfed in fire, which they tried to extinguish.

The department’s second piece of equipment, the ladder tower, arrived at 2:11 p.m. and additional manpower worked to put out the flames. When firefighters exited the building to replace their air packs, they found that the fire had broken out the roof. That was when a mutual aid request was made to the Galion, Crestline, and Marion Township fire departments.

Grove said that was when the officer in charge made the switch from an aggressive interior mode – or offensive attack – to an exterior mode defensive attack. The fire was brought under control and mutual aid assistance was released around 12:40 a.m. Monday.

Grove said, aside from the mutual aid received from Galion, Crestline, and Marion Township, they Fire Department received assistance from the Bucyrus Police Department, Mayor Jeff Reser, Service/Safety Director Jeff Wagner, the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, the Bucyrus Street Department, and the city’s Utility Department.

“With the additional fire personnel and specialized equipment, we were able to contain the fire to the structure involved, keep our exposure damage to a minimum, and, fortunately, no loss of life,” Grove said.

Grove added that he did not know there was an apartment in the building at the time of the fire but noted that other fire personnel were aware of the fact.

“That’s one of the reasons they did do a check if anybody was in the apartment,” Grove said when questioned by Law Director Rob Ratliff.

The apartment had once served as the offices of Eckleberry Poultry.

A few firefighters received minor injuries while fighting the blaze. Firefighter Steve Sargel was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion and fatigue. Firefighter Greg Hershey, while doing his duties on aerial operations, slipped and fell on the ladder while fighting the fire. Grove said Hershey suffered an injury to the heel/foot area and is currently on injured leave. He is expected to return on Dec. 21.

“I was really impressed on how everybody did their job. Not a lot of chit chat; just strategy and they had the fire covered. The neighborhood felt safe,” commended Mayor Reser.

“That’s what makes us what we are,” said Council President Sis Love on the mutual aid received. “We’re a small community that everybody comes together and does their part. We’re certainly glad this was handled with as few injuries as possible. I know that’s because we’re trained well and you guys know exactly what you’re doing.

RELATED CONTENT: Eckleberry Poultry building goes up in flames

The second of Bucyrus’ Most Wanted can now be crossed off the books. Law Director Rob Ratliff announced during Tuesday night’s Council meeting that Joshua Albright was arrested by police on Dec. 10.

Albright fled from police that night and led them on foot chase through town before being apprehended in the 200 block of North Sandusky Avenue. Though Albright was originally wanted on a warrant, he is now facing additional charges as a result from the chase, including resisting arrest, failure to comply, obstruction and possession of drugs.

“When the cops tell you to stop, just stop,” recommended Ratliff. “It’s not that hard.”

Ratliff added that they will have a new person for Bucyrus’ Most Wanted in 2016.

RELATED CONTENT: Wanted man tries to outrun police, now faces more charges

Eight pieces of legislation were on the agenda for the evening but only six passed muster. The ordinances that would move the responsibilities of the CRA Housing Office and the EZ Manager to the Council Clerk died on the floor after nay votes from Steve Pifer, John Walker, Wanda Sharrock, and Bruce Truka.

A point of contention from former councilmember Dan Wirebaugh, who is set to take back a seat for an At-Large position at the end of the year, surrounding the $50,000 the city pledged to the Crawford County Education and Economic Development Partnership. Wirebaugh asked the Council to reconsider the funding, which he believed could be better used for the swimming pool or other community-related projects.

“We tossed this around for quite a while,” commented Finance chair Bill O’Rourke. “This is a county-wide effort. That’s why we did this. We realize that’s a large amount of money. We want to attract people.”

O’Rourke added that other entities already pledged their monetary support to the county-wide organization.

This meeting marked the final Bucyrus City Council meeting for Richard “Rocky” Rockwell and John Walker.