Back-to-back structure fires had the Great Bend Fire Department and the Albert Fire Department busy from late morning to early evening on Monday.
First the GBFD responded to the 600 block of Main Street in Heizer at 11:39 a.m., and were assisted by the Albert crew. After extinguishing the fire, around 2:30 p.m., the Albert Fire Department was immediately called out to a rural address approximately 5 miles west of Heizer on K-96, where a barn was fully engulfed in flames. This time, GBFD provided mutual aid, said Albert Fire Chief Charles Keller.
“We helped each other out today,” Keller said.
Interim Fire Chief Brent Smith with the GBFD reported on the fire in Heizer, where they arrived to find an unoccupied residence fully involved in fire, with fire spreading to an adjacent house and a shop.
“Along with the three structures on fire, a grass fire was also ignited and spreading,” Smith said. “Crews initiated a fire attack on the second involved structure and were able to extinguish the fire before it spread to the interior of the home.”
The initial fire in the unoccupied house was fought defensively from the exterior due to the large amount of heat and fire. “This structure is considered a total loss,” he said. “The shop was also fully involved, was extinguished and is considered a total loss.
“The fire is being investigated by fire investigators from the Great Bend Fire Department, Office of the State Fire Marshal, and detectives from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time but is being investigated as suspicious in nature.”
Keller said the house had no utilities. Because the State Fire Marshal investigator was at that fire, he also checked on the rural barn fire.
The cause of the second fire could not be determined and is not considered suspicious, Keller said. He noted that the barn had electrical power and the property owner said the wiring was old.
While second the fire was contained to the structure, the 40-by-50-foot barn was completely destroyed in the blaze. There were used oil barrels and fuel tanks in the barn and they exploded. Firefighters were on the scene until about 5 p.m.
Additional reporting by Mike Gilmore
