NEWTOWN — Thousands of people showed up in the rain Friday for a fish fry at the Newtown Fire House.

        It wasn't about fish and fries.

        It was about brotherhood and saying thanks to critically injured Anderson Township firefighter Bill Ellison.

• Donate to the Bill Ellison Fund at any Fifth Third Bank branch.   • A Web page, www.expage.com/billupdate was set up by a family friend.

        By afternoon, the turnout reached 3,000 people.

        At 8 p.m., when it was scheduled to end, a firefighter said serving would continue until the last person had eaten.

        It was the latest outpouring of support for the Clermont County man who has been hospitalized since March 8, when he fell through the floor of a burning home as he searched for a possible fire victim.

        In Cincinnati, firefighters keep a vigil at the hospital. In Kentucky, donations were collected at Turfway Park's Fire Fighter Day. Across the Tristate, blood drives and a bank fund have been set up.

        Friday, the line for fish and fries sometimes stretched from the back of the tiny firehouse on Church Street, through the front doors and halfway down the block.

        The Anderson Township Fire Department brought over extra fryers to meet demand — and a generator to power them.

        No estimate was available for how much was raised at Friday's event.

        “We just want to show as much support as we can,” said Mike Battle, a firefighter with the Cincinnati Fire Division. “Everybody in the fire service, we're all brothers.”

        When the fish fry opened, “the demand was so great they couldn't cook fast enough,” said Anderson Township Fire Chief Dan Esslinger. “It was unbelievable.”

        Mr. Ellison, 38, is a full-time Anderson Township firefighter since 1997 and a part-time firefighter for Miami Township (Hamilton County) for five years. The accident occurred at a burning house in western Hamilton County.

        Mr. Ellison was burned on more than 50 percent of his body. He is in critical condition at University Hospital.

        On Friday, some stopped by the firehouse just to make a donation.

        “We know he was working for us,” said David Leahr, an Avondale resident. “A lot of times we're not aware of the level of service and risk until something happens.”

        According to a Web site set up by a friend, Mr. Ellison underwent surgery at University Hospital on Tuesday to amputate his right hand and three fingertips on his left hand.

        John Schenk, an Anderson firefighter who is liaison for the family, said Mr. Ellison's wife, Victoria, is doing well under the circumstances. The couple has two young daughters.

        “I've been with her pretty much since the incident occurred,” said Mr. Schenk, saying he refers to her as “a redwood tree — as tall and as straight. It's amazing. There's been overwhelming support.”

        “We've had somebody with his wife the whole time,” said Chief Esslinger. “We're making sure the kids are taken care of, the food is taken care of. Anything they need.”

        Meals are coming from the families of firefighters in other departments as well, including Clermont County's Union Township and the Western Joint Ambulance District.

        Newtown Assistant Fire Chief Bill DeVore said his department was pleased with Friday's turnout.

        “It's about another firefighter and his family,” he said. “It could have been any one of us.”
       

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