BLANCHESTER — One of the village’s most historic buildings suffered massive damage from a Friday morning fire.
Blanchester-Marion Township Fire Department Assistant Chief Terry Pell advised they arrived on scene to see “flames through the roof.”
One person needed to be rescued by emergency services. According to Pell, it was the owner of one of the businesses, which suffered severe damage from the fire. No other injuries were reported.
Pell also advised they evacuated neighboring apartments due to the heavy smoke.
Due to the severity of the fire, additional fire units were called in, including Wilmington.
At one point, the Village of Blanchester had to issue restrictions on local water usage for both citizens and businesses due to low water pressure, and they asked that residents use only the water they needed to on Friday.
“We have at least four towers going, and we’ve exhausted our supplies. We’re trucking in water from Midland and Harlan Township to keep the water supply going,” he said.
The State Fire Marshal was on the scene, according to Pell, the Red Cross had been called, and emergency services were still working on the scene Friday afternoon.
History
The building — once know as the Bindley Block — was constructed by John Bindley in 1896 and housed the Merchants and Farmers Bank, according to information provided by the Clinton County History Center, and the second-story housed the 28-room Bindley Hotel.
When the bank closed in 1928, the space housed the A&P grocery store and later Spence’s Pharmacy and Haines’ Town & Country Store.
