Today at approximately 1:25 PM, quick action by an off duty Holland firefighter prevented a serious situation from becoming a tragedy. The off duty firefighter was driving to an appointment when she spotted flames coming from a barn at 239 Waverly Road. She identified that a lawn tractor was on fire and an 81 year old man was still inside. She called 911 and protected the man from further harm.
An engine from the department's Waverly Road fire station was on scene less than 4 minutes later and was able to control the fire quickly. The fire destroyed the lawn tractor and spread to some furnishings in the barn, but the structure itself was saved. There were several other incidents that occurred in Holland while fire personnel battled the flames. These emergency medical incidents were handled by two of the department's mutual aid partners, the Graafschap and Hamilton Fire departments.
Waverly Road was shut down during the fire and traffic control was handled by the Holland Police Department. Other assistance was provided at the scene by Hamilton Fire Department, Holland BPW, SEMCO, and American Medical Response.