Boys riding bikes credited with catching fire at Poland Library before it got worse

POLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – Two young boys riding bikes past the Poland Library late Thursday afternoon are being credited with alerting the people inside of a fire that firefighters say could’ve been much worse.

The fire started around 5:15 p.m. on the side of the building next to Yellow Creek — rarely seen by the public.

A small corner of the building was damaged — a small section of the facade had been ripped off.

Firefighters with the Western Reserve Joint Fire District say the boys were riding bikes on a gravel path when they noticed the fire in the mulch.

“Two juveniles noticed smoke coming out of the building. They did alert the occupants in the building. They pulled the fire alarm and evacuated the building. So thanks to those two juveniles, they stopped the progression of this fire going any further. So thanks to them, it’s not worse than it is,” said Assistant Fire Chief John Walsh.

Firefighters ventilated the building, however, the library closed for the day due to a smoke smell. Normal operations are expected to resume Friday.

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