Updated: Downtown buildings in a Central Kentucky community destroyed by fire
A large fire in downtown Millersburg in Bourbon County destroyed several historic buildings Wednesday, according to the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire was reported to the sheriff’s office a little before 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. Maj. Brent Wilson with the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office said the fire started in one building and quickly spread to three other surrounding buildings.
All four buildings are a total loss, according to Wilson. One of the buildings was a post office. Two others were vacant. There were also a few apartments on the backside of one of the buildings.
No one was injured and everyone was accounted for, Wilson said. Three families were displaced as a result of the fire and the Red Cross responded to help the families.
A fifth building suffered some water damage as firefighters battled the blaze.
Wilson estimated it took roughly an hour and a half to two hours to get the fire under control. Firefighters stayed on scene throughout the night to put out flare-ups and hot spots.
According to Wilson, multiple fire departments responded to assist with putting out the fire, including the Lexington Fire Department, Harrison County Fire Department, Nicholas County Fire Department, Scott County Fire Department, Bourbon County and Paris Fire Department, and Montgomery County Fire Department.
Hot temperatures made fighting the fire more of a challenge, which resulted in a few firefighters suffering from heat exhaustion.
Sometime during the fire, a storm came in and knocked down a front wall on one of the buildings, according to Wilson. The storm also brought minor periods of rain, which helped cool down the hot temperatures.
Community members also helped the firefighters. Wilson said people provided coolers of drinks for the firefighters while they worked to put out the fire.
“That community down there is fantastic,” Wilson said. “They tried to help literally any way that they possibly could.”
As firefighters got control of the large blaze, several community members took to Facebook to share their thoughts about the buildings. An unofficial account for the city of Millersburg recounted the previous usage for the buildings, which served many purposes.
Caleb Walsh shared images of firefighters working the scene, which was covered in thick smoke.
Miranda Chaplin shared a story of her husband leaving a hay field to go work the fire. Dozens of firefighters worked countless hours to control the fire, including firefighters from Lexington.
Wilson said Kentucky State Police are heading to Millersburg to investigate the fire. The cause of it was unknown Thursday morning.
