On Sunday, October 10th, at approximately 9:00 pm, the Richland Center Fire Department was paged for a structure fire at Oakwood Fruit Farm on Apple Ridge Rd. The report indicated a shed was on fire. When firefighters arrived, they found flames shooting through the roof of the main retail and processing building. A home owned by the business owners sits a few feet away from the business. Firefighters were able to save the home. It suffered minor heat damage. Oakwood Fruit Farm is a family owned businessthat has existed for 106 years. The entire 2010 crop of apples has already been harvested and were stored in coolers inside the business. It was estimated 40,000 bushels of apples were lost in the blaze. The total loss is expected to exceed 2 million dollars. Firefighters from four fire departments used 50,000 gallons of water on the blaze. One firefighter was injured and transported to the Richland Hospital. He was treated and released. The Richland Center Fire Department received mutual aid from the Lone Rock, Spring Green and Plain Fire Departments, as well as the Richland Center Fire Explorers, Richland County EMS, Richland County Sheriff’s Department and Alliant Energy. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Oakwood Fruit Farm Fire
