Unreported barn fire rekindles.

RIVERTON TWP. — Riverton Fire Chief Joe Cooper was a little baffled when his fire department was dispatched to a rekindle of a barn fire at 4250 S. Schwass Rd. about 8:50 a.m. Sunday. Typically a rekindle means the fire department had been on scene previously for a fire.

“I was confused because we never got called out for the initial fire,” Cooper said, on scene of the fire. Cooper said homeowner Richard Smith told him that he slept through the fire and assumed the fire department had been on scene overnight. The barn is visible from Hawley Road, which is typically a well-traveled road.

“We would never just show up and not try to contact the homeowner,” Cooper said.

The 20-foot by 30-foot pole barn had burned to the ground sometime in the early morning. The barn contained at least one car or truck and a tractor, among other equipment. The fire caused some damage to another nearby building.

Initially Scottville Fire Department was dispatched as mutual aid but was disregarded.