On Sunday at around 1:40 a.m., a fire caught in Legend Hills Orchard’s storefront and barns. It roared throughout the night, filling the sky with smoke. The family business has been in operation for over three generations, and the orchard has served the community for decades.
“We are doing the best we can,” said Richard Hoar, one of the four siblings who run the orchard business.
According to the family, first responders were prompt and quick to respond. Hoar said they don’t know what started the fire, and they may not be able to find out, according to fire officials.
“We thank them for everything,” said Susan Hatch, the oldest sister of the family who runs the business. “They were quick, professional, and they contained the fire to avoid the other two buildings we have.”
Richard, Susan, Doug, and Debbie Seibel grew up on the orchard, working to help their father sell cider and work on the orchard.
The farm, located just west of Utica, has existed since 1904, and has been farmed by three generations of Hoars. The property is filled with hundreds of peach and apple trees, sunflowers and a pumpkin patch, in addition to a salesroom, a cider mill and a production area.
Read more: Licking County’s Historic Family Farms: Legend Hills Orchard/The Hoar Farm, circa 1904
“We lost a lot, the cider mill, the salesroom, coolers, our sitting area, pretty much all of our production,” Richard said to friends and family as everyone came to support this morning. Luckily, the family didn’t lose much farming equipment, and the orchards stayed untouched.
As a result of the damage, the orchard has closed the farm market and the “pick your own” season for the remainder of the fall.
Some of the family lives across the street from the Orchard and storefront and saw the fire starting, calling emergency services immediately. One family member lives in an apartment behind the store. She escaped unharmed by the fire, but the family lost two cars and all of her belongings in the ongoing flames.
“The firefighters said they used hundreds of thousands of gallons of water; this whole place was flooded last night, and we are glad they were able to contain it,” Virgil Hatch, married to Susan, said, looking over the storefront that once stood strong. “Some of these buildings are pretty old. The tin barn was on this property when we bought it, and some were built in the ‘80s.”
This morning, friends and family – and neighboring orchards – have come to support the close-knit family as they recover from the disaster.
“We are happy everyone is okay, but it is really hard to see,” Susan commented. “We have already had overwhelming support from our customers across all counties. We have heard from neighbors and other orchards, and even Andy from Lynd’s farm is here to check on us. We want to thank the entire community for their wishes, and thank you to the first responders for doing an amazing job.”
Delaney Brown writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.