CRESTLINE—A house fire broke out on Wednesday night at 1810 St. Rt. 61, prompting a swift response from the Crestline Fire Department. However, due to limited on-duty personnel, the department had to request mutual aid from the Jefferson Township and Galion City Fire Departments.
The call for assistance came in at approximately 11:29 pm when only two firefighters were available at the Crestline Fire Department. Recognizing the need for additional support, they immediately reached out to Jefferson Township Fire Department at the same time. One minute later, at 11:30 pm, the Galion City Fire Department was also contacted, according to call logs obtained by Crawford County Now.
In an effort to determine the precise moment Crestline received the call, Crawford County Now requested the call logs from the Village Administration. However, no one was present at the fire station, and the Village Administration was unable to provide the requested information. Despite assurances of a return call, Crawford County Now received no response.
According to the Galion Fire Department report, four firefighters were dispatched upon receiving the call for aid and arrived at the scene at approximately 11:44 pm—approximately 14 minutes after the initial call. Upon their arrival, they discovered the unoccupied residence fully engulfed in flames.
The Galion Fire Department took immediate action by initiating the water supply to combat the fire. However, upon their arrival, they found that no water supply had been established. The firefighters swiftly connected their hose to a nearby fire hydrant and linked it to the Crestline truck, enabling them to supply water to their engine.
It remains uncertain whether Crestline utilized the water on their fire truck before the arrival of the Galion Fire Department. Each fire truck typically carries a tank of water for initial response purposes.
When Village of Crestline Mayor Linda Horning Pitt was asked about Wednesday night’s fire, she responded with the following statement:
“When a fire occurs such as the one that we experienced Wednesday evening, emergency responders lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. This is a common practice amongst our local fire departments. Crestline Fire Department was represented by our firefighters on shift as well as Chief Krock who took command of the fire. We were thankful that all other local fire departments provided mutual aid to support our firefighters.”
In response to the incident, Crestline Village conducted a special meeting on Thursday evening to address concerns regarding staffing at the fire department. Additionally, discussions were held regarding potential legislation to contract with Galion for comprehensive coverage of Crestline Fire and EMS calls.
Residents of Crestline face potential wait times of up to twenty minutes for emergency assistance, raising concerns about the adequacy of support during life-or-death situations. Crawford County Now attended the special meeting and posed various questions to the Village Council regarding these matters.
The Council subsequently adjourned to enter into an executive session.
Crawford County Now remains committed to following this developing news story closely.
To access all the videos submitted to CCN and review the Galion Fire Department report, click on the link provided below.