Royalton Township FD

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2010 Officers have been Appointed

 

Chief

Ron Koebel

 

Assitant Chief

Jim Jonatzke

 

Captain

Leo Rodriguez

 

Lieutenant

 Allyn Cooper

 

Secretary

Brian Leiberg

 

 

Posted: Thursday, 24 December 2009 3:00PM

Christmas Eve Fire Destroys Home Of Elderly Royalton Twp Woman



Andrew Green Reporting
No one was hurt, but a disabled elderly woman was left without a home, following a Royalton Township fire on Thursday morning. Royalton Fire Chief Ronald Koebel tells us that firefighters were called to the scene at 6402 Hollywood Road, near the intersection of Rocky Weed, around seven AM. He says that the woman who lived there was removed from the home by a male caregiver before responders arrived:

You can reach Chief Koebel to make a donation at 269-930-6363. Four cats were killed in the fire, but firefighters did manage to save two. The fire is thought to have started in a wood-burning stove that hadn't been properly cleaned. Photo by Mark Parren.



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STORY PROVIDED BY WSJM.COM

 

 

Firefighters save 150-year-old barn


A vagrant may have accidentally started the blaze

By JULIE SWIDWA - H-P Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 1:08 PM EST
ST. JOSEPH - Firefighters saved a barn Monday that is part of the area's history, and they're asking for the public's help in finding the person or people who started the fire.

Royalton Township Fire Chief Ron Koebel said the 150-year-old barn is one of the original buildings on what was once the Dickinson estate off Niles Road south of Scottdale.

Now neighboring a subdivision, the barn is on property at 2001 Dickinson Road owned by Mike and Jackie Huie. Their house was not damaged, Koebel said.

The chief said the fire department was called around 7:45 a.m. Monday after the family's nanny smelled smoke while walking a dog. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in the upper level of the barn but stayed for about two hours making sure the rafters were free of sparks that might reignite. Koebel estimated damage to the barn to be about $5,000.

Koebel said there is no electricity or gas to the barn, so firefighters believe a vagrant might have been in the barn and accidentally started a fire. Koebel said the homeowners said they had seen strangers near the barn before. He said anyone with information should call him at 930-6363.

Koebel said there were no animals in the barn, and no one was injured.

Jackie Huie said the barn, along with the family's house, sits in a 30-acre wooded area. She said her husband and son have noticed signs of someone being in the barn, including coffee cups, bottled water, a Coleman stove and the remnants of soup.

"I don't think it was intentional," Huie said. "I think someone had been making soup in there before."

She said the neighbors are anxious to find the person or people responsible.

"We've lived there since 2000 and never had any problems. It's a great neighborhood," Huie said.

She commended the fire department for saving the barn.

"The sheriff's department and Royalton Township's response time was amazing. They caught it just in time. We feel very blessed," she said. "Another 10 minutes and it would've been gone."

Koebel said the land is part of what once was the Dickinson estate. The family owned the land from 1885 until 1992. Part of the Dickinson family lived on land that is now the site of St. Joseph High School and Dickinson Stadium.