Two people were slightly injured Tuesday morning at the intersection of Johnson County roads 500 North and 400 West.
Investigators said a car traveling north on 400 West collided with an eastbound car on 500 North. Both vehicles were heavily damaged. Both drivers were examined by Bargersville Community Fire Department personnel. Neither driver required hospitalization.

Bargersville Community Fire Department's family prepares for the Bargersville town festival early Saturday. The parade started just south of Station 1.

Bargersville Community Fire Department Chief James White agrees with Johnson County Commissioners that open burning should be temporarily banned because of extremely dry conditions.
The commissioners issue the ban Sept. 17.
"We have a combination of farming and residential communities south of Stones Crossing Road to Ind. 44 and west to Ind. 37 that are at risk," White said. "We also are concerned with discarded smoking materials that are frequently tossed from vehicles that could easily start a fire."
Crop harvest also poses natural fire dangers when huge machines are taken into fields within the fire district's 64 square-miles. Several neighborhoods are a few blocks from, or border, fields with unharvested crops.
"Field fires are difficult to put out and easily grow in size within a few minutes," White said. "Add a little wind with that and it can get really bad."
The Commissioners banned all types of open burning, with the exception of charcoal and propane for use in cooking grills.
No recreational, farm or construction burning will be allowed, including camp fires.
Additionally, the Commissioners strongly suggested limiting the use of aerial fireworks.
Following is a copy of the ban signed by the Commissioners.




DISASTER EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION

Johnson County, Indiana

Sept. 17, 2007



Whereas, Johnson County, Indiana is immediately threatened by a natural disaster- specifically county wide drought conditions, and;

Whereas, as of Sept. 17, 2007, we find our county to be at risk of widespread fire hazards because of the ongoing drought conditions and;

Whereas, a county wide burn ban affecting certain activities is an appropriate public safety response to the fire hazards presented by the current drought conditions;

Now, therefore, we, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, declare, pursuant to the provisions of IC 10-14-3-29, that a state of emergency exists in the county and that we hereby invoke and declare those portions of the Indiana Code which are applicable to the conditions and have caused the issuance of this proclamation, to be in full force and effect in the county for the exercise of all necessary emergency authority for protection of the lives and property of the people of Johnson County.

We also declare that, effective immediately, the following activities are prohibited in Johnson County:
1. campfires and other recreational fires;
2. open burning of any kind using conventional fuel such as wood, or other combustible matter, with the exception of grills fueled by charcoal briquettes or propane;
3. the burning of debris, such as timber or vegetation, including such debris that results from building construction activities; and
4. the use of burn barrels for any open burning at residential structures.

Charcoal from permitted grills shall not be removed from the grills until the charcoal has been thoroughly extinguished.

In addition, we strongly encourage our residents to attend public displays of fireworks and limit their personal use of fireworks to those that do not leave the ground, and that they refrain from using aerial firework devices.

Reference is hereby made to all appropriate laws, statutes, ordinances and resolutions, and particularly to Section 10‑14-3-29 of the Indiana Code.

All public offices and employees of Johnson County are hereby directed to exercise the utmost diligence in the discharge of duties required of them for the duration of the emergency and in execution of emergency laws, regulations, and directives whether state and local.

All residents are called upon and directed to comply with necessary emergency measures, to cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans, and to obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

All operating forces will direct their communications and requests for assistance and operations directly to the Emergency Operations Center.

In witness, whereof, we have hereunto set our hand this 17day of September, 2007 .



__Mitchael Ripley_________________________________
Chairman, Johnson County
Commissioners

__Tom Kite_______________________________
Johnson County Commissioner

___Troy DeHart________________________________
Johnson County Commissioner

Aug. 27 - A well-known Bargersville-area farmer was found dead in a grain bin at his farm Monday morning. Richard E. Henderson, 80, 518 N. Johnson County Road North 150 West, is believed to have entered or fallen into the bin through an opening at its top. The bin was filled with about 8,000 bushels of corn. Richard Henderson's son, Mark Henderson, 50, discovered his father missing about 9:15 a.m. and a 911 call was made to the Bargersville Community Fire Department. Firefighters from Bargersville, White River Township and Indianapolis participated in the rescue effort. Rescuers, including area farmers and neighbors, had to remove most of the corn from the huge metal holding bin before Mr. Henderson's body was found about 10:30 a.m.

Aug. 9, 2007 - Two pickup trucks were heavily damaged after colliding on Ind. 37 at Travis Road. Both drivers escaped without serious injuries. However, their vehicles were weren't so lucky. The crash occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Traffic along Ind. 37 was reduced to one lane for about an hour as police investigated the crash. BCFD paramedics evaluated both drivers. Neither required hospitalization.

A fire lifting smoke hundreds of feet into the air above Trafalgar was visible from Bargersville Tuesday afternoon.
Bargersville Community Fire Department firefighters were called to assist Trafalgar firefighters shortly before 2 p.m.
A small tractor, automobile and thousands of pounds of hay were heavily damaged or destroyed in the blaze.
The metal building shielded most of the fire from water streams and hampered efforts to extinguish it. Hay rolls smoldered several hours.
Trafalgar fire investigators were probing the cause of the fire late Tuesday.
The majority of BCFD's firefighters were able to return to service about 4 p.m.

July 13 - A rural Bargersville man was slightly injured Friday after his car was struck by an Indiana Railroad train.

The accident occurred about 7:30 p.m. on Johnson County Road 100 North, west of Ind. 135.

Thomas Vaught, 20, was driving his car east on the county road when struck by the northbound train.

Power lines near the crash site were knocked down.

"He was extremely lucky," said Battalion Chief Rod Hayes, of the Bargersville Community Fire Department. "By the time he saw the train, it was too late."

Vaught complained of a hand injury, but did not request transportation to a medical center or hospital.