Fire Destroys W.Va. Car Wash, Laundromat, Market

Jan. 21--A structure fire in Fayette County early Friday morning destroyed a house, a two-stall car wash, a laundromat and Sam's Market, Ansted Fire Department said.

The call came in at 1:30 a.m. Ansted VFD responded along with Summersville, Fayetteville and Nuttall departments, according to Meredith Gray, Ansted VFD public information officer.

Flames were first spotted coming from the car wash area, but quickly spread to the laundromat. At one point in the early morning hours, the fire was nearly contained there, Gray said.

Unfortunately, the fire grew and eventually spread to the independently owned grocery store. Fire suppression efforts were hindered by a hydrant that was inoperable, forcing firefighters to shuttle water from another one a little farther from the scene, she said.

"Going through one bottle of air while fighting fire is the equivalent of an intense eight-hour manual labor work day, and many firefighters went through up to three bottles of air," she explained.

To ensure the safety of those on the ground, emergency medical services personnel set up an area to assess the health of the firefighters and checked vital signs.

Several firefighters were removed from the fire ground to get 15 minutes of rest and another vital sign check prior to returning to fight the fire, Gray reported.

Summersville Fire Department brought its aerial ladder truck to assist at the scene, which allowed firefighters to expel 91,000 gallons of water on the fire.

U.S. 60 was closed most of the morning, but traffic was diverted to a road along the back side of Sam's Market.

No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported. The structure was a total loss and the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, Gray said.

There were nearly 20 firefighters on the scene. An ambulance company, law enforcement and the West Virginia Department of Highways also responded.

The scene was cleared by 10:30 a.m.

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