W.Va. Firefighters Rely on Tankers for House Fire

Dec. 28, 2013
A tanker task force was dispatched due to the rural location.

Dec. 28--A water shortage made things difficult for the fire departments that responded to a house fire on Savage Lane on Friday afternoon.

According to emergency services radio traffic, the fire began as a chimney fire caused by a wood burner. The fire started at about 1:13 p.m., according to MECCA 911 logs. Volunteer firefighters from Brookhaven, Westover, Cheat Lake, Granville, Clinton Dis trict and Cool Springs were called in to deal with the blaze. Mon EMS and a water truck from the Monongalia County Fire Association also responded.

A truck from Mon Power was brought in to sever the wiring from the house to the nearby telephone poles.

Matthew Tartaglia, a Brookhaven volunteer firefighter, said no one was hurt during the fire, but water shortage hampered efforts to save the house.

"We were the first ones up here, and we called in as many departments as we could, but we ran out of water twice and are out again," Tartaglia said.

Water trunks from the Mon County Fire Association and Cool Springs made multiple trips down Summer School Road to refill before returning to aid the firefighters, some of whom ran out of water while on the roof of the house.

"People need to know we did our very best out here without water," Tartaglia said. "It didn't look like much when we got here. I can't believe we lost the house."

Deborah Woodard, a neighbor, said the nearest fire hydrant she knows of is in Sabraton.

"That's part of living out in the country," she said.

Woodard brought spare clothes and blankets to the house's residents.

They did not wish to comment. She said she planned to deliver food to her neighbors.

"That's what neighbors do. My son got two laptops and two bicycles for Christmas. I told him where the extras are going."

Erica Lowery, a family friend of the residents, said the home was not insured. Lowery said she wanted to organize donations for the four people who lived in the house.

Crews were briefly called back to the scene around 7:30 p.m., according to the MECCA 911 radio traffic.

Copyright 2013 - The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

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