MOUNT VERNON, Ky. - Firefighters from multiple departments battled a massive structure fire at the County Road Department Maintenance Garage for nearly seven hours on Saturday. The blaze began around 3:30 p.m. when crews responded to reports of white smoke near the facility, quickly escalating to a working commercial structure fire.

Mount Vernon Fire Department requested mutual aid from Livingston and Brodhead fire departments, with tanker support from Western Rockcastle and Brindle Ridge fire departments. Firefighters initially attacked the flames from inside the building but were forced to retreat when the roof partially collapsed. The coordinated response involved approximately 67,000 gallons of water dumped onto the burning structure to contain the fire.

Seven-hour fire battles strain municipal resources and can cause significant disruption to local government operations. The County Road Department garage likely housed essential equipment and vehicles for road maintenance and public works. While no injuries were reported, the extensive damage could impact Mount Vernon's infrastructure maintenance capabilities and require substantial rebuilding costs.