Multiple Butler County fire departments were called into Scrubgrass Township in Venango County on Saturday, Oct. 26, to respond to a structure fire on Rockdale Road which quickly turned into a massive brush fire.

The fire was reported shortly after 1 p.m. According to Trevor Hile, chief of the Emlenton Fire Department, the structure that caught fire was a private storage garage that was not attached to a house.

Hile said burning leaves caused fire, which spread to the structure and consumed an entire acre of woods.

“They were doing outside burning,” Hile said. “And then it started a brush fire which then started the garage on fire.”

According to Hile, there were no injuries, but the structure and its contents were unsalvageable.

“There was about an acre of woods burned in addition to the garage, which was a total loss,” Hile said.

In addition to Emlenton, volunteer fire departments from Eau Claire, Marion Township, Clintonville, and Bruin responded to the scene, along with other fire departments from Venango and Clarion counties, as well as Emlenton Area Ambulance Service.

Hile says that the incident is yet another reminder that residents should be careful of when they are burning leaves.

“We recommend people exercise extreme caution when they’re burning,” Hile said. “There’s a lot of warnings now to discourage burning because it’s so dry and windy.”