Power Surge Causes Small Fire at West Virginia Station

March 15, 2012
Nitro firefighters inside the building were able to quickly extinguish the flames.

A power surge caused a small fire in the Nitro fire station Wednesday afternoon.

Firefighters contacted Kanawha Metro 911 to request local departments be put on standby after the blaze broke out at the 20th Street firehouse around 4:45 p.m., according to The Charleston Daily Mail.

The power surge went through the building and knock out the computers before causing a fire in a wall of the fire chief's office.

Firefighters inside the building were able to quickly extinguish the flames.

"We're lucky they were there because if they hadn't been the whole building could have burned down," Nitro Mayor Rusty Castro told the newspaper.

No injuries were reported, but the chief's office sustained damage and the computers are likely fried.

The power company was at the station later in the evening to work to determine the cause of the power surge.

Voice Your Opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Firehouse, create an account today!