Photo by Robert A. DeFrank
Firefighters battle a blaze at the Glencoe American Legion, which was fully engulfed Wednesday afternoon.
GLENCOE — Residents are mourning the loss of a center of community life after the Glencoe American Legion was engulfed in fire Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters arrived quickly on scene, but the structure was deemed a total loss.
“The state fire marshal’s office will be coming in (Thursday) to investigate the cause,” Cumberland Trail Fire District Chief Tim Hall said. “No injuries, and at the time of the fire the building was unoccupied.
“When we arrived on scene, the fire was already through the roof. There was already a partial roof collapse, so most of our efforts were defensive tactics and suppression-related.”
He said firefighters from Neffs, Smith Township and the Spirit of ’76 provided aid.
Due to concerns about available water, the Belmont County Tanker Task Force was activated but not needed.
“I’m just hoping the Glencoe community can rebuild, because I know the legion is a staple of that community and this is a tragic event. … We were very mindful in trying to salvage all we could as far as their memorabilia and things that were important to their history,” Hall said.
“My heartfelt thoughts to the Glencoe community. I know they’re a close-knit community.”
Meanwhile, numerous neighbors and legion members gathered to watch firefighters combat the blaze.
“My husband called me. I was at work,” neighbor Weslie Donley said. “He said, ‘Get home quickly. The legion is on fire.’ We’ve lived here 18 years. … It’s going to be really rough. Our community has gathered there a lot. Hopefully we can find a new building.”
Albert Jeffers, another neighbor, agreed it was a shock.
“I wasn’t here when it started. I live right here, my Mom lives across the street,” Jeffers said.
He checked his residence for melted siding or other possible damage from the nearby fire.
“It’s a total loss,” Jeffers said of the legion, adding that he frequently cut grass at the legion and that his father had been a member.
Susan Hall also commented on the impact.
“I live up the road,” she said. “It sparked up several times, up through the roof.”
She said the loss will be felt.
“That’s really the only things we have in town anymore,” Hall said. “That’s the big thing in town, our legion.”
Chad Smith, commander of the Sons of the American Legion, also was feeling the loss.
“We really don’t know what we got anymore,” Smith said. “It was a great place for the community.”
There have been several recent fires in Belmont County. A fire this past weekend on Major Road, Dillonvale, was recently ruled to be arson by the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office. But according to the fire marshal, another fire along Pipe Creek Road in Mead Township on Jan. 11 and a fire on First Street, Powhatan Point on Jan. 27 were not found to be suspicious.
