Three sheds consumed by blaze
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ANTIS TOWNSHIP -- Three sheds -- one filled with holiday decorations -- were destroyed in a fire after a homeowner's lawn mower backfired, setting grass on fire.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at 253 Forshey Lane about 1:55 p.m. Wednesday to find the sheds and nearby woods on fire, said Caleb Keller, fire chief of Pinecroft Volunteer Fire Company.
Homeowner Gary Stehley Sr. said he was mowing the lawn with a riding zero-turn mower.
When he put it back in the shed, it backfired, causing the grass to catch on fire.
With the mower having almost a full tank of gas, Stehley decided to get away from it quickly.
"The firefighters told me I got out of there just in time," Stehley said.
He went inside the house to get water to try to put out the fire in the shed, and from his kitchen window, he watched the flames jump to the sheds on both sides of the structure.
"I would say in about five minutes everything was completely covered in flames," Stehley said.
About 30 feet of the woods on one side and 10 feet on another were also on fire, Keller said.
Stehley said he felt fortunate the wind wasn't blowing in the direction of the house or it could have been much worse.
While the heat from the flames did melt the siding off the part of the house facing the sheds, the rest of the home is fine, he said.
Stehley's wife, Kelly, said it was a shame to lose the sheds, but no one was hurt, which was the most important part.
Gary Stehley said the shed that first caught on fire had a lot of sentimental items from his parents, along with tools and chainsaws that were all destroyed.
Another structure was a shed used to store firewood.
The fire was contained by 3 p.m., Keller said, noting two nearby fire hydrants gave firefighters plenty of water to fight the flames.
"Right now we are checking every nook and cranny to make sure everything is cooled down and won't spark again later," he said.
Keller said people should park lawn mowers outside to cool down before putting them away, especially on days when the temperature is hot.
"You don't think about it. I probably should have cleaned the grass off the mower when I was done," Stehley said. "I recommend people do that so what happened to me doesn't happen to anyone else."
In addition to Pinecroft, Bellwood, Greenwood, Logan Township and Newburg fire companies responded to the scene.
Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith is at 814-946-7535.