GREEN RIVER — Weeks after a devastating fire tore through Scott’s Bottom on March 21, residents and first responders offered competing accounts of the emergency response during the Green River City Council meeting April 7.

Janet Hartford, who lost approximately $35,800 worth of property, including tack and equipment accumulated over 22 years, addressed the council directly, praising neighbors and local businesses while raising pointed questions about the fire department’s timeline in reaching the corral area.

Hartford said she called dispatch at 5:30 p.m. and was told crews were on their way, but that no fire truck had arrived to the corral area as late as 7:28 p.m. She said she watched firefighters eventually enter the trails on foot to begin turning out horses, and that she requested to be allowed to load her own horses before they did but they would not let her.

“Just let me load my horses and I’ll be out in 10 minutes, and they wouldn’t let me do that they were going to arrest me,” Hartford told the council.

Green River Fire Chief Bill Robinson followed Hartford to the podium and firmly defended his department and all agencies involved in the response.

“Everybody down there that night worked their tails off,” Robinson said, noting crews came close to losing a million-dollar pumper truck during the effort. He explained that a truck from an outside agency that was visible to Hartford had to receive assignments through him as incident commander, which he said is standard protocol. He added that Hartford had acknowledged as much when she visited the fire station afterward.

“I can’t sit back and allow fire, EMS and crews to be shown in a light that is not accurate,” Robinson said. “Everybody did their job.”

Hartford said she has requested an incident report from the sheriff’s office, which she was told is still being completed, and has also reached out to the county for additional information