The day started off so normal in the small Paulding County town. Though there are not too many businesses in Melrose, one that is well known in the region is Uncle Fudd’s Diner. It’s been pleasing to customers for years while also providing jobs.
On Friday, April 8 about 10 minutes ’til 2 in the afternoon, according to Oakwood Fire Chief, Kenny Thomas, a call came in for a fire—nearly an hour after it closed after lunch. He drove there with the firefighters and were the first to arrive at the location.
Quickly, the Oakwood Fire Department moved on the scene with hoses, breaking the windows and flooding the structure with water. At one point he thought they had the fire nearly under control. Suddenly, the fire reached into the ceiling, catching some kind of flammable material and causing the flames to proliferate
Soon fire departments around the area arrived to combat the flaming foe and the newly realized energy of the heavy black smoke billowing out. Paulding brought in their ladder truck to stop the flames from above while Cecil arrived with their tanker truck. “It was just a bad time of day for a fire.” stated Thomas, “Not that there is a good time, but this was especially bad with people at work and shift changes.”
Weather was terrible for these brave volunteers.
While the volunteers were working, the Morning Star Gas Station & Convenience store brought in food to give sustenance to all the workers. The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office was there keeping order and blocking traffic on the State Highway 613 to keep the locale safe and Red Cross setup operations to provide relief.
So much water was trucked in using tankers that it nearly drained Oakwood’s water tower. Chief Thomas said the ground was too soft from the recent rain and they couldn’t get trucks to pump water from the nearby ponds. There is no city water system and therefore no fire hydrants in the town. When they couldn’t use the local water, it was thought, “Why not use the water that’s running off the structure?” So, a pump was put in the catch basin and reused on the same fire. What great thinking!
The weather was nasty which didn’t help much. Rain, heavy sleet, and snow would randomly spray from the heavens.
The fire was out by 6:00 pm with several hot spots still burning under the fallen metal roof. The Fire Marshall was investigating the structure and checking out where and why the fire may have started. It was speculated by one expert on the scene that it may have started in the back of the building near the west corner.
Firemen were continuing to watch the structure as several departments started to pack up and head back to their origins. The wind began to pick up again and it could be a concern for the volatile structure. They certainly don’t want it start up again.
As many as 50+ volunteers helped out at this devastating disaster and they all did a great job. Only one injury was reported. Departments that helped out included: Auglaize, Cecil, Paulding, Oakwood, Grover Hill, Payne, Continental, Scott, and others.
“We are whipped!” said Allen Sharp, firefighter. It was a lot of work getting it all under control.
This landmark will certainly be missed and we are sad for the owners. Uncle Fudd’s had great food and fun entertainment and everyone around knew it. We miss you and we would love to see you back!
