Lyn Jerde / Daily Register
Foam, designed to help water soak through wallboards, covers a Poynette house where fire broke out Thursday afternoon, after the occupant spilled fuel while working on his motorcycle on a front deck.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Motorcycle work starts house fire

POYNETTE - A house fire Thursday in Poynette broke out at a time when the village's water towers had been emptied for painting - requiring the Poynette-Dekorra Fire Department to call for water from several surrounding Columbia County communities.

According to Poynette-Dekorra Fire Chief Jim Tomlinson, the fire broke out at about 2:30 p.m. at 520 N. Cleveland St. after a man working on his motorcycle on a front deck spilled fuel, igniting the blaze.

Gary Drake, who lives in the house and was working on the motorcycle, said he was not injured, although a Poynette-Dekorra Emergency Medical Service ambulance was called to the scene. There were no reports of anyone else being injured.

In addition to getting water from fire departments serving communities such as Rio, Arlington and Wyocena, Tomlinson said the fire department also pumped water into tankers from a creek in Poynette. The water was emptied into a portable folding tank that was set up in the middle of the street.

Although the people in the village have ample water for day-to-day use, Tomlinson said, the fire department would have risked collapsing the village's water mains if it had tapped into the water supply while the tower was empty.

The fire department also added foam to the water to allow it to penetrate the wallboards more efficiently. At times, firefighters working at the house waded calf-deep in excess foam, and spectators across the street occasionally got sprayed with bits of it when the wind picked up.

"This is what we country people do to fight fires," he said.

A dollar estimate of damage to the house was not available.

ljerde@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3587