By-the-numbers look at Keegan Enterprises fire

TOWNSEND TWP. — Firefighters battling the Keegan Enterprises fire on March 30 used enough water to fill nearly three-quarters of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. About 470,000 gallons of water were used by firefighters; an Olympic swimming pool holds 660,000 gallons. More than 120 firefighters from 23 different departments responded to the scene on Ohio 101. There were no fire hydrants in the immediate vicinity of the blaze, and firefighters needed to bring in water via tanker trucks. The March 30 fire, the second large blaze to occur at the packing supplies business in about seven months, is being investigated by the Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office. A spokesman did not provide an update on Wednesday. The state fire marshal's office also investigated the first fire, which broke out Oct. 7, 2020, and destroyed an estimated 90% of the business, but was unable to determine a cause. It's not clear if any fire departments will bill Keegan Enterprises for firefighter overtime or any other related charges. Lisa Kuelling, director of the Sandusky County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), said the departments involved in combating the fire have not yet met for an "after action wrap-up" meeting to discuss the incident. The numbers The Sandusky County EMA gathered statistics about first responders' and community members' responses to the second Keegan fire. Kuelling offered praise for the response. "All Sandusky County and mutual aid public safety agencies did an amazing job in controlling and getting the fire extinguished, especially with the sustained winds and wind gusts that played a big factor that day," Kuelling said. "The community support and outreach both during the incident and after has been amazing. It is great to see so many people think of the first responders during a situation like this, dropping off food, water (and) snack bars." Data provided by the county emergency management agency shows the vast response to the blaze. Here's a breakdown: Fire departments: 23 • Townsend fire, Clyde fire, Gibsonburg fire, Ballville fire, Fremont fire, Lindsey fire, Woodville fire, Helena fire, Sandusky Township fire, Green Springs fire, Margaretta Township fire, Perkins Township fire, Sandusky fire, Bay View fire, Berlin Heights fire, Milan Township fire, Vermilion Township fire, Huron Township fire, Groton Township fire, Vermilion fire, Florence Township fire, Huron River Joint Fire District, Bellevue fire • Other fire departments covered for the above 23 departments while they assisted with the Keegan fire. One example: Seneca County's Attica Fire Department covered for Bellevue firefighters responding to the blaze. Fire department personnel: 121* Fire department vehicles: 51** Law enforcement personnel: 27*** • Agencies represented: Sandusky County Sheriff's Office, Fremont police, Erie County Sheriff's Office, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Border Patrol Other public safety personnel: 8 • Includes Sandusky County EMA, Sandusky County EMS, Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Community partners/businesses: • Bruce Chambers provided drone support for first responders. • Four members of the Red Cross provided 20 cases of water and 50 large pizzas to first responders. Other community members also provided food for first responders. • Two employees at Beck Suppliers provided a fuel truck for use at the scene. *Personnel numbers were not confirmed for Bay View fire, Clyde fire and Huron Township fire **Vehicle data wasn't available for Clyde fire ***An estimated six state troopers assisted, but that number wasn't able to be confirmed Sources: Sandusky County Emergency Management Agency, Erie County Sheriff's Office