WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A boat and RV storage facility and nearly all its contents is a total loss after a fire broke out early Saturday morning in Whitewater Township.
Crews responded to a large fire at Premiere RV & Boat Storage on State Route 128 around 5:00 a.m. Firefighters worked to quell the flames that engulfed the building for more than three hours.
A major fire fight is underway in Cleves right now. We’ll have live updates on @WCPO at 8 a.m. pic.twitter.com/7WNAFHsMkK
— Madeline Ottilie (@OttilieMadeline) July 17, 2021
Much of the building collapsed as a result of the fire.
Whitewater Township assistant fire chief Mike Siefke said about 75 firefighters from multiple stations were called out to help.
“It’s significant. This is a significant fire,” Siefke said.
Mark Antoni said he heard explosions coming from the fire. He lives next door to the storage facility.
“I was sleeping, my doggone dog start barking and I look out and I see the black smoke and I say, ‘That looks too close,’” Antoni said. “There was popping and explosions. Did sound like fireworks or gunfire.”
Officials said the sounds could have been caused by propane tanks inside.
Joey Bardonaro was driving to work when he saw the fire.
“We just see big smoke flying up, all the way down there we saw the flames. We felt the heat all the way down there,” Bardonaro said.
Antoni said it’s hard to believe so much damage could happen.
“You don’t usually see too much like this take place, especially out in this area here,” he said.
No one was injured as a result of the fire, according to Siefke. The cause remains under investigation.
