The Banks Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire at McClelland’s Critters in Banks.

Don Smith, a firefighter at the Banks Volunteer Fire Department, described the blaze as a ‘good sized fire.” “There was an open patio with a roof,” Smith said. “The owner had an open barbecue stored in the patio. The owner had started the grill and went in to his house for a minute. When he came back, the whole patio was on fire. The patio was a complete loss, but we were able to save the home and another shed.”

Thanks to some quick action by the department, no animals were harmed in the blaze. “No animals were injured,” Smith said. “It could have been a very bad situation. I happened to be in a brush truck investigating a controlled burn within a few miles of the call at the time of the call. I was able to respond on scene within two minutes of the time it was called out. I emptied my three hundred gallons and knocked down the blaze. By the time I went to refill my tanks, other trucks started showing up.”

The Banks Volunteer Fire Department received assistance from Pike County Fire Rescue, the Hamilton Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department, the Meeksville Volunteer Fire Department, the Corinth Volunteer Fire Department and the Almyra Volunteer Fire Department.