Fire Claims W.Va. Block, Two Firefighters Injured

Jan. 11, 2014
More than 90 firefighters from nine departments were called to a block fire in Piedmont that displaced 13 people. Two firefighter suffered minor injuries.

Jan. 10--PIEDMONT, W.Va. -- Thirteen people from three families were left homeless when fire of an unknown origin swept through an entire block of the city of Piedmont late Thursday, according to the Mineral County 911 Center.

"Basically, it took the whole block with the exception of the public library," said a 911 dispatcher concerning the 8:45 p.m. fire that originated in a residence at 36 Second St.

Piedmont Fire Chief Zach Barb said the cause of the fire is not yet known.

"Right now there is no indication of what caused it," Barb said Friday afternoon. "There's so much damage the origin may be hard to determine. The fire marshal's office will be here tomorrow to take over the investigation. After that, all information will have to come from them."

Ninety-one volunteer firefighters from nine Mineral County volunteer fire companies, seven Allegany County companies, and one company each from Hampshire and Garrett counties responded to the incident along with four emergency medical services companies.

Two Piedmont firefighters sustained minor injuries in the all-night fire operation and were released following emergency room treatment at Potomac Valley Hospital.

Piedmont firefighters were first to arrive following a 911 call that reported smoke coming from a residence, possibly from fire in a wall at 36 Second St. Fire was shooting from the roof of the structure when firefighters arrived.

Barb said four aerial ladders were used in the fire operation, which began as an interior attack before the blaze quickly forced the dozens of volunteers to an exterior-only fire operation.

A number of buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged in the city block at Second Street and Childs Avenue. Four buildings were declared a total loss but no dollar figure was available concerning the monetary loss, said Barb.

"This is going to affect the town. The fire is in the heart of the town and people have lost their homes," said Barb, who said the fire is the worst he has experienced in his 10 years of volunteer firefighting service.

The fire chief commended his fellow firefighters. "We got great support from all the counties that responded. The volunteer community around here is great," said Barb.

"A lot of these volunteers were on this fire for eight hours," he said.

The incident disrupted CSX rail traffic since tracks run in proximity to the fire scene. Rail traffic resumed shortly after 5 a.m., when all fire companies had cleared the scene.

The Mineral County Sheriff's Department also responded and emergency assistance was provided to the victims by the American Red Cross and Trinity United Methodist Church, according to the emergency center.

Mineral County Office of Emergency Services Director William Hentosh and FirstEnergy and Mountaineer Gas personnel also responded.

Contact Jeffrey Alderton at [email protected].

Copyright 2014 - Cumberland Times-News, Md.

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