Beyond the call: 'A good service'

Three workers with the Hancock County Engineer's Office surpassed the call of duty Monday when, armed with fire extinguishers, they put out a car fire. A northbound motorist on Interstate 75 pulled onto the highway's shoulder Monday afternoon with his car engine in flames. He was in the right place at the right time for the crisis. On the other side of the fence along I-75 is the Highway Maintenance Garage of the engineer's office. Pulling up to the garage were Mike Clark, highway superintendent and a former volunteer firefighter; Todd Groves, a senior mechanic and a volunteer firefighter for Rawson; and John Rettig, mechanic. "Our highway superintendent and our two mechanics jumped into action and jumped across the fence and put the fire out before the (Findlay) Fire Department and Highway Patrol were able to get there," said County Engineer Doug Cade. "I really, really can't say enough about those guys. "Those guys jumped into action and saved that car and really got that guy out of harm's way pretty quickly." The motorist, a Findlay resident, was not injured, the Findlay post of the State Highway Patrol reported. As Clark pulled up to the maintenance garage, he was the first to see the car on fire. "Mike hollered for the other two guys, and they ran with fire extinguishers," Cade said. "It was blazing pretty good when they got there." The vehicle had to be towed away, but the men's good deed was uplifting. "My guys, I'm just proud to death of them," Cade said. "They really done a good service there." Wilin: 419-427-8413