The fire that completely destroyed a building in the Ronyak Bros. Paving yard Feb. 1 in Burton Village is under investigation, said Burton Fire Chief Brian Wendl Feb. 2.
Firefighters from at least 10 fire departments battled the blaze at 14376 North Cheshire Street that was first reported at 5:37 p.m., he said.
The Burton Fire Department responded immediately to the call, but the building on the southeast corner of the 12.74-acre property was fully involved when firefighters arrived, Wendl said.
According to the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office report, the roof started to fall in before 6 p.m.
Explosions were attributed to propane tanks stored in the building, but no one was injured, the chief said.
“We were able to contain the fire to one main building,” Wendl said, adding the low temperatures resulted in some ice formation, but the main concern was that the wind would carry the fire to other buildings in the middle of town.
“We had four hydrants going and water was getting low in the tower,” he said.
North Cheshire was closed because of the fire hoses crossing it, he said.
A small neighboring building in the yard was damaged and some nearby structures suffered some heat damage, Wendl said.
The small building was the original office of Ronyak Paving, built when A.J. Ronyak started the business in 1939, said Jason Ronyak, company vice president, Feb. 2.
The burned structure that measured about 80 by 100 feet was the first building on the property and was recently resided, he said.
It was used for storage including a truck and the propane tanks, all under 100 gallons, Ronyak said. Power to a number of outbuildings was disconnected during the fire, but the current office was operating Friday and Ronyak said the rest of the business would be operational by Monday.
At one point during the fire, an occupant of an apartment was directed to leave his home, but was able to return within the hour, he said.
The fire was under control by midnight, Wendl said.