HILLSBORO, Ohio — A concession stand fire drew an overnight response from Highland County firefighters early Friday, breaking out at the county fairgrounds just days before this year’s Highland County Fair is set to open.
Paint Creek Joint EMS & Fire District said in a Facebook post that its Station 23 units were dispatched at 12:42 a.m. Friday to a “working fire” involving a concession stand on the fairgrounds property. The district urged the public to avoid the area while crews worked the scene.
No additional information about the fire’s cause, the extent of the damage or whether anyone was injured had been released by the district as of early Friday morning.
The blaze comes as the Highland County Agricultural Society prepares the fairgrounds, at 604 John St. in Hillsboro, for the 2026 Highland County Fair, scheduled to run Sept. 6 through Sept. 12. The fairgrounds have hosted the county fair since 1947, after businessman Birch Riber deeded 20 acres of land that year to Highland County commissioners for use as a permanent agricultural fairground. The grounds have since grown to include livestock barns, exhibit buildings and other structures used throughout the year for school events, auctions, horse shows and other community gatherings.
Station 23 is one of three stations operated by Paint Creek Joint EMS & Fire District, which formed in 2009 and began operations in January 2010. The district covers more than 362 square miles across Highland, Fayette and Ross counties, including 10 townships, the city of Hillsboro and the village of Greenfield, where it is headquartered.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Paint Creek Joint EMS & Fire District.
