Volunteer members of the voter approved Owensville Fire Protection District rolled out early New Years Day for the newly established tax-supported district’s first call of 2026 when they responded at 1:38 a.m. Jan. 1 for a vehicle fire on Pump Station Road.

Firemen arrived to the 3400 block of Pump Station to find a fully-engulfed four-door sedan in the road. No injuries were reported.

Firemen from Owensville were dispatched at 12:15 p.m. later that day for a residential first alarm structure fire in the 1500 block of Lake Shore Drive in the Peaceful Valley Lake community. Firemen arrived to find a side-by-side utility vehicle on fire next to the house’s attached garage.

A cargo van was parked near by and firemen used two hose lines to stop fire inside the garage from spreading.

A search of the residence was completed and firemen were able to confirm no one was home at the time. A family pet was located and brought safely out of the residence. Owensville firemen received mutual aid assistance from Owensville EMS, Bland Fire Protection District, Beaufort-Leslie Fire Protection District, Gerald-Rosebud Fire Protection District and the Hermann Volunteer Fire Department.

Owensville volunteers also assisted Bourbon firemen with a Dec. 26 garage fire on Route J near Bourbon at 9:45 a.m. which damaged the back portion of the structure’s roof. The Bourbon Fire Protection District also received assistance from firemen from Cuba, Sullivan, and Leasburg. North Crawford County EMTs and Sullivan EMS also responded to the call. The cause of the fire is pending an investigation.

According to Bourbon Fire Protection District Chief Tim Ware, a second fire took place in Bourbon at a private residence at 8:10 p.m. on Dec. 28. Fire departments in Bourbon, Sullivan, St. Clair,  Union, Leasburg, Gerald, Steelville and Cuba all responded to the scene and dealt with the wind-driven fire. The cause of the fire is pending an investigation.

The third fire took place at a private residence in the 3500 block of Highway C at 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 26. All occupants were out of the residence at the time of the fire. Highway C was closed as firefighters from Bourbon, Sullivan, Cuba, Leasburg, Owensville, St. Clair, Union, Bowles, Gerald, Buford, Pacific and Marthasville dealt with the fire that escalated due to the ferocious wind. The cause of the fire is pending an investigation.

Ware spoke afterward about the difficulty of putting out the fires with such intense winds.

“When the wind starts like that, it makes it very difficult to extinguish so we appreciate all the help we got,” said Ware.

(With reporting by Danny Straus of the Cuba Free Press).