ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — Families in Ross County are questioning the condition of their loved one’s graves after a grass fire swept through a local cemetery on Monday, March 6.
It happened yesterday afternoon at the Floral Hills Memory Gardens off Route 23 near Massieville.
According to reports from dispatchers, firefighters were dispatched to the cemetery shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Monday on reports of a fire that was beginning to spread. The original caller stated that a leaking propane tank sparked the fire that quickly burned across nearly an acre of the cemetery.
Officials have not commented on the exact circumstances surrounding the fire.
Several graves did suffer damage as flower arraignments, flags, and memorial items were burned. Many grave markers were charred due to the flames.
The cemetery has struggled over the past several years. Since 2012 multiple lawsuits and hundreds of complaints have been filed against the owners of the private cemetery.
Since 2013, residents have volunteered to maintain the cemetery since what officials call its “abandonment by the owners.”
