Logan fire department sends crews to help fight warehouse fire in Wood County
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Logan fire department sends crews to help fight warehouse fire in Wood County
Robert Fields | WVOW News
PARKERSBURG The City of Logan Fire Department sending crews to help battle a catastrophic inferno in Wood County as a warehouse has now been burning for days.
The fire was reported early Sunday morning at the Peoples Cartage, Inc. warehouse in Parkersburg and had seemingly been extinguished. However, it reignited and completely engulfed the structure.
Logan Fire Chief Scott Beckett spoke on WVOW’s “What’s Your Opinion” Monday morning.
“What we're planning on doing is sending a four-man engine company up,” Beckett said, “and then once they're back in Logan, we'll just swap out and try to send another four and give our guys a break and just try to rotate that through to where our guys get a break and their guys get a break.”
Beckett said the City of Logan fire crews want to be a part of the solution to try to help another community and just show some hospitality.
“I think across the state, there's 400 fire departments. If everybody could just send a couple and get with these guys, it's just going to give them the needed rest because it's just so taxing on your body to be in that gear for that long.”
According to Incident Commander Ron Utt, chief of the Eastwood Volunteer Fire Department, there is no visible fire left on the site as of early Tuesday. However, thermal imaging showed hot spots which need to be uncovered and doused.
Much of the stock within the warehouse was reportedly plastics, resulting in a shelter-in-place order being issued by the WVDEP and the EPA due to particulate levels exceeding minimum threshold levels in the area along Staunton Turnpike. According to reporting from MetroNews, authorities lifted a precautionary shelter in place Tuesday afternoon after air quality levels improved. The advisory was for a half-mile radius of the fire.
Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a State of Emergency for Wood County due to the ongoing blaze.
Peoples Cartage CEO Doug Sibila said in a statement that no injuries have been reported as a result of the fire.
People’s Cartage issued an updated statement when contacted by MetroNews:
On Saturday, July 4, a fire occurred at Peoples Cartage’s Camden Avenue warehouse campus in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The fire was quickly contained and extinguished by our fire suppression systems and the local fire department. A stringent fire watch was maintained throughout the day and overnight. Unfortunately, early Sunday, July 5, the fire reignited, resulting in significant damage, the full extent of which has not yet been assessed.
We are extremely grateful that no injuries have been sustained by any employees or other individuals on site. Peoples Cartage is cooperating fully with emergency responders and government agencies, supporting containment efforts, and assessing the damage. The site of the fire remains an active scene and the area has been secured. Environmental and safety officials are on-site to safeguard the health and safety of emergency responders and the community at large. The safety of our employees, customers, neighbors, community and the public remains our highest priority.
Peoples Cartage is deeply appreciative of the Wood County Fire Department, the surrounding area emergency responders, and all the authorities who have worked tirelessly to manage this situation. We are supporting them in every way possible. We are also truly moved by the overwhelming generosity of the community – the donations of food and water for the firefighters on scene have been a powerful reminder of what makes the Parkersburg community special.
Given that this remains an active scene, internal and external assessments of possible causes have yet to be conducted. We are committed to fully cooperating with the relevant authorities, and we will provide additional updates as new information becomes available