Fire departments from Bennet, Hickman, Southeast, Douglas, and Palmyra responded to a large building fire just after midnight Thursday at Vogt Construction at 11811 Roca Road.
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ben Houchin says, “It was fully engulfed. Luckily, nobody resides there or was inside the building at the time of the fire. Bennet did give them a burn permit. Due to the extreme weather the decision to not put it totally out was made.”
The 100-by-200 foot two story building housed trucks, construction vehicles, excavating equipment, and other equipment. The building and contents are a total loss with the early damage estimate at $1 million.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, the building was still burning and is now being treated as a controlled burn.
Houchin says the Red Cross is busy with other disasters at this time so the Palmyra School District stepped in and provided a school bus that served as a warming center for firefighters battling the blaze in sub-zero temperatures.
The State Fire Marshal will investigate the cause that is still not known. The investigation continues.