A narrow driveway made firetruck access impossible to this 130th Avenue Manlius Township barn fire Sunday, forcing Hamilton first responders to cut down trees with chain saws for about 20 minutes before they could fully fight it. The Saugatuck Township Fire District dispatched an engine, ladder truck and tanker to assist Hamilton, joined by Graafschap and Overisel mutual aid partners, reported STFD IT director Erik Kirchert. Crews found the 40×40-foot pole barn storing boats and vehicles fully engulfed in flames, thick black smoke and a power line down. Some trees ignited too, exposing a nearby home that luckily remained uninvolved. The STFD and other mutual aid partners were dispatched at 6:35 p.m. and released at 8:21 while Hamilton remained on scene for final overhaul. (Photo by STFD chief Greg Janik)
