Shed fire first reported 9 hours earlier

On April 16 I wrote an article about an early morning shed fire in Wonder Lake the previous day. About 2:00AM on April 15 Wonder Lake firefighters were called to the scene of a fire off Thompson Road, just north of Wondermere Road.


Although it wasn't reported by local papers, the firefighters had been there about 4:30PM on Wednesday, April 14, the afternoon before. According to a report written by MCSD Deputy Vogel, he responded to that location after being dispatched for an open-burning complaint. Deputy Vogel observed a "large number of leaves" on fire and located about 6 inches from a steel shed. He also noticed that the fire had spread to the shed and that a large piece of metal had caught fire. (Yes, that's what the report says.)


Deputy Vogel contacted a man on the property who was raking leaves and reported that the man "was raking leaves on the fire in what he said was an attempt to put the fire out." (That's a strange way to put a fire out.)


Wonder Lake Fire Dept. responded and had the fire out after about 20 minutes. Dep. Vogel issued an open-burning citation to the man who was attending the fire. That man has a May 3rd court date.


The problem was, of course, that the fire either wasn't extinguished on Wednesday afternoon or it was re-started. A passerby reported a fire at about 2:00AM. A sergeant and two deputies responded. The second report indicates that Wonder Lake, Spring Grove, Richmond and Alden-Hebron Fire Departments responded. Another deputy, a lieutenant and a detective showed up.


A MCSD detective may be investigating the second fire, as the Fire Chief advise that it "was possibly suspicious in nature."


On that Friday afternoon the fire was smoldering again, so it still wasn't out. Did the Wonder Lake F.D. really get it out the first time? They reported they had used thermal imaging camera to confirm the fire had been completely extinguished on Wednesday afternoon.