The county barn for Blaine County District #1 went up in flames April 2. The building is considered a total loss according to Sheriff Travis Daugherty.
The Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office told the Watonga Republican it is continuing to work on the investigation and believes flooring work going on at the time may have contributed to the rapid spread of the conflagration.
The fire marshal also said the office has determined the area of origin and are still seeking the cause of the fire.
Monday at the Blaine County Commissioner’s meeting, the issue of funding the work of the district was placed on the amended agenda. The commissioners agreed to emergency funding for equipment – computers, paper and the like – to conduct district business. The need for replacements could hardly have fallen at a worse time, since there are different constraints placed on spending during an election cycle. The fire occurred during the filing period for the commissioner’s seat in District # 1.
Blaine County Assistant District Attorney Walter Mengden told the commissioners he would research statutes to help ensure the county remained within legal limits on the emergency operations funding.
Emergency management director Jim Shelton told the commissioners that at least four firefighters had gear damaged during the fire response. Once gear is saturated with oil or similar substances, it is past its usable life and must be replaced. Shelton said the county should include the cost of replacement bunker gear in its insurance claim. A full set of gear can cost between $3500 and $16,000 depending on whether the breathing apparatus is needed