A Bartholomew County man was injured and a pet died in a fire in a former garage and body shop southwest of Waynesville.
The fire was in a building owned by Scott and Jennifer Hollinger, 2565 E. County Road 650S, reported at 2:41 p.m. Tuesday, emergency dispatchers said.
When firefighters arrived, the building already was engulfed in flames, said Wayne Township Fire Chief Rick Trimpe.
He described the building as a pole barn and said it was a total loss. Property records show a 3,200-square-foot pole barn was built at the Hollinger address in 2007.
When Scott Hollinger saw the building was on fire, he attempted to use his utility vehicle to rescue a dog inside the building, Trimpe said.
“He drove his Gator through the garage door, but the door crashed down and hit him on the head,” Trimpe said.
Hollinger was treated at the scene for minor head injuries and smoke inhalation, the fire chief said.
The couple bought the building after the owner of a garage and body shop that had operated there moved his business to Columbus, Trimpe said.
The Hollingers were using the building mostly for storage, firefighters said. There were cars and a tractor inside the structure. Firefighters did not have a damage estimate late Tuesday.
As he drove to the scene, Trimpe said he could see the smoke from the fire as far as eight miles away in Columbus, he said.
Assisting Wayne Township firefighters were units from Elizabethtown, Columbus Township and Harrison Township as well as Southwest volunteers. No firefighters were injured.
County Road 650S was closed while firefighters worked at the scene but reopened at about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.
