Groveland Twp.-In less than an hour, 130 years of township history was gone.
At about 4 p.m. Monday, fire departments from Brandon, Holly Village, Groveland, and Springfield townships, along with the North Oakland County Fire Authority responded to a barn fire at 3694 Jossman Road.
Township Fire Chief Steve McGee said when firefighters arrived, the 100-by-36 mostly wood structure, constructed in 1878 and owned by the Scramlin family, was totally engulfed in flames. The first fire truck was on the scene in less than 2 minutes, 45 seconds and the second engine arrived in less than 3 minutes, 30 seconds, added McGee.
‘Those old barns are like kindling,? said McGee. ‘It’s just an old structure, even though they kept the building painted and shingled’it’s still an old building. The Scramlin barn was the showcase of the community and within 15 minutes it was all over. The big open doors added air to the fire? a barn is not tight like a house.?
McGee said there were no injuries in the fire and no damage to other buildings on the farm; however, township firefighters returned to the building on Tuesday morning after corn began to smolder in the bottom of a silo.
‘We understand that no one had been working in the barn that day and the fire is not suspicious, by any means,? added McGee.
Smoke from the barn fire was visible for miles.
‘I worried every time there was a lightning storm that the barn would get hit,? said Marvin Scramlin, barn owner. ‘Then, in the middle of a sunny day, it just burns to the ground. I was just on my way back home when I saw the smoke’I have no idea how it could have started. I just had the barn re-wired a year ago or so. There was little hay, but a few bales of straw in the barn at the time of the fire.?
‘I guess all you can do is put a metal barn back up’that’s it.?
For the past 30 years, the Scramlins hosted the Mount Bethel United Methodist Church’s annual living nativity and barn service in the structure. The popularity of the early December Christmas celebration grew over the years, prompting the family to host two services.
‘You just can’t replace this barn,? said Terrie Scramlin, wife of Marvin. ‘It’s my husband’s livelihood. The hardest thing will be, why did it happen? At least I’m glad all the animals got out of the barn in time.?
On Monday afternoon, Jason Stahl, 30, was working in the feed barn about 50 yards from the fire.
‘The garbage man stopped by the barn and said, ‘Your barn’s on fire,? so I called 9-1-1’by the time the fire department got there, it was rolling pretty good.?
Stahl said two sheep and a rabbit were rescued from the fire. However, a tractor, a wagon, several bales of straw and hay were lost in the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
‘It’s a shame about the fire, you see so many old barns that are falling down,? said Nick Mazich, longtime friend of the Scramlins.
‘The upkeep is just so expensive’that barn was a piece of history.?