toledoblade.com -- The Blade ~ Toledo Ohio

NEW KNOXVILLE, Ohio -Two volunteer firefighters died yesterday when the roof of the concrete silo below them exploded as they were fighting a fire, hurling the men 75 feet to the ground.

Seven more firefighters and two owners of the company were injured in the blast.

Ken Jutte, 44, and John Garman, 42, had come four miles from nearby New Bremen to help firefighters from New Knoxville and other departments fight the sawdust fire at Hoge Lumber. They died soon after the explosion.

They were the first volunteers of the New Bremen fire department to die since 1896.

Two volunteer fireman were killed and nine other people injured when a silo in New Knoxville, Ohio exploded yesterday.

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"It's going to be really hard for us. They were two of the most dedicated firemen, and they were always there," said Mike Staton, a volunteer firefighter.

"Ken was an outstanding father, someone you can really look up to. And John devoted a lot of time to the schools," Mr. Staton said.

Five of the injured firefighters, including the two who died, were from the 32-member New Bremen volunteer fire department. The others were from New Knoxville.

New Knoxville Fire Chief Scott Schroer said the cause of the blast is unknown.

New Knoxville is 90 miles southwest of Toledo in Auglaize County.

About 25 firefighters from the New Knoxville and New Bremen volunteer fire departments were at the lumberyard at 7 a.m. as smoke billowed from one of two silos where sawdust and wood chips were stored and had caught fire.

The wood byproducts were being fed into a generator that provides power not only to the plant but also to New Knoxville and the nearby town of St. Marys.

Firefighters fought the fire for 11/2 hours. Mr. Jutte, Mr. Garman, and another firefighter got on top of the silo to moisten the wood products and prevent an explosion. Fire officials could not say whether they were on the silo roof or in the bucket of a fire truck.

Suddenly, the silo erupted, blasting the roof apart. Concrete flew as far as 1,000 feet, hitting some of the firefighters.

Mr. Jutte died shortly after the explosion. Mr. Garman was taken to St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima where he was pronounced dead two hours later.

Friends said Mr. Garman's brother, Keith, also a volunteer firefighter, rode with him to the hospital.

"Everybody lost two good friends there today," said a tearful Bo Wissman, a captain in the fire department.

New Bremen firefighter Scott Albers, who also was battling the blaze from above, was taken to St. Rita's, where he was in good condition last night. New Knoxville firefighter Brent Lauth was in fair condition in the hospital.

Chief Schroer said five other firefighters were treated in area hospitals.

Owners Jack and John Hoge, who are father and son, were taken to Joint Township District Memorial Hospital in St. Marys. Their conditions were unavailable.

The wooden material inside the silo burned well into the evening, and officials expect to tear the structure down today.

In New Bremen, Mr. Jutte and Mr. Garman were longtime members of the volunteer fire department that protected the city of 2,900 residents and often responded to calls for help in the neighboring communities.

The father of three teenage children, Mr. Jutte was active in the community, including serving for 18 years on the volunteer fire department.

Mr. Garman, a 10-year-veteran of the department, could often be seen speaking to young people about fire safety and prevention, Assistant Fire Chief Steve McDermitt said.

"It's a tragic, tragic incident," he said. "These things aren't supposed to happen."

Mr. Staton was at the scene of the fire ready to battle the blaze. Mr. Staton, a 10-year volunteer with the New Bremen fire department, said the group handles 50 or 60 fires a year.

Yesterday afternoon, as he stood in front of Mr. Garman's empty house, he remembered two dedicated firefighters and two good friends. And he promised that despite their tremendous loss, members of the New Bremen fire department would respond the next time the community calls.

At the city's fire station, community members streamed in to offer sympathies and tears. The flags out front flew at half-staff.

Phil Heitkamp learned of the tragedy when his employer, Crown Equipment Corp., informed its employees that two of their colleagues had been killed that morning.

Mr. Heitkamp, who lives next door to Mr. Garman, said the news was numbing. "Nothing got done afterwards," he said.

Matt Baker, a cook at a New Bremen restaurant, said like most people in town, he personally knew both men and their families.

"It goes right to your core," he said. "But another thing about this place is that they remember. These guys will always be remembered."

A community meeting scheduled last night to discuss the New Bremen Local Schools operating levy was canceled because of the tragedy in the neighboring village, said Dr. Larry Smith, superintendent of the 1,000-student school district.

Chief Schroer said that this was the first major fire to occur at the lumber company. Hoge Lumber Co., a family owned company, says it is the world's largest maker of wood bowling lanes. It makes a number of wood products, including floors, roof trusses, farm buildings, and fixtures.

Staff Writers Kim Bates and Jim Sielicki contributed to this report.

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