Shown above is a portion of the machinery which was lost in the $60,000 blaze which swept through Baxla and Willman Implement Company, Seaman, early Sunday morning.
October 28, 1965
An early Sunday morning blaze in Seaman brought fire fighters, equipment and spectators to the scene as flames swept through the Baxla and Willman Implement Company causing $50,000 to $60,000 damage.
Fire units and men from Seaman, West Union, Peebles, Winchester and Wayne Township responded to the 4:30 a.m. alarm and were able to contain the holocaust to the one structure which was situated adjacent to Doak’s Grocery and to a nearby house. At the height of the blaze, the streets were crammed with firemen, equipment, spectators and volunteers who witnessed one of the most destructive fires in the history of the county.
Losses included: Six tractors, two trucks, two corn planters, three mowing machines, a silo unloader, and two elevators, a large quantity of parts, all office equipment and records. Much of the equipment was new. The building was located on State Route 247 across from the Seaman Branch of the Winchester Bank. The rear of the building was already enveloped in flames when the call was given and flames spread rapidly as tractor tanks filled with gasoline began exploding and sending a sheath of blazing liquid to all parts of the one-story structure.
Harold Baxla, owner of the building and co-owner of the company with Wilbur “Boss” Willman, stated the fire was probably caused by defective wiring as the furnace had not yet been used. Mr. Baxla also reported that he carried $10,000 insurance on the building and that he and his partner had a large, but likely inadequate, policy on the contents and equipment. Firemen were still on the job at noon Sunday spraying smoldering embers and tearing down the remaining wall of the building as a safety measure.
