Fire burns vacant house on Parkersburg’s Virginia Avenue
Structure torn down in emergency demolition
Parkersburg firefighters responded to a vacant structure fire at 803 Virginia Ave., between Latrobe and William streets, Monday morning. The cause is under investigation. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Smoke billows from 803 Virginia Ave. Monday morning as Parkersburg firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside. The house was later torn down via emergency demolition. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg firefighters battle a blaze at 803 Virginia Ave. Monday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg firefighters responded to a vacant structure fire at 803 Virginia Ave., between Latrobe and William streets, Monday morning. The cause is under investigation. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Smoke billows from 803 Virginia Ave. Monday morning as Parkersburg firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside. The house was later torn down via emergency demolition. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg firefighters battle a blaze at 803 Virginia Ave. Monday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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PARKERSBURG -- Neighbors looked on Monday morning as Parkersburg firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze at a vacant Virginia Avenue house.
Jon Queen wasn't surprised.
"This is like the fifth fire since I've been here," said Queen, who moved to the neighborhood about a year ago.
"That house has been empty for years and years," said Bill Cunningham, another Virginia Avenue resident. "The homeless have used it to keep warm."
The fire was reported at 803 Virginia Ave. at 11:17 a.m. Monday, and firefighters arrived three minutes later, Chief Jason Matthews said. A police officer who was in the area also responded and reported seeing flames coming from a window in the rear portion of the house.
The fire was knocked down within 16 minutes, but flames had already spread through the balloon-frame house to the second floor, Matthews said.
"There was a lot of structural damage, and it was already in bad shape," he said.
City Engineer Adam Stout made the call to have the structure torn down by emergency demolition.
Matthews said firefighters know the fire started in a first-floor room but they were working Monday afternoon to determine how. Samples were taken to see if an accelerant was used.
"There wasn't much left of the area of origin," Matthews said.
Witnesses reportedly saw as many as five individuals leaving just before the fire started.
"The place was unsecured, missing the front door, windows," Matthews said.
Cunningham said city officials have boarded the house up in an effort to secure it, but people have removed the plywood and gone back inside.
It was the second time in less than a week firefighters responded to the location. Early Friday morning, a pile of clothing was found burning inside. Firefighters doused it and cleared the scene within minutes, Matthews said.
In June, Parkersburg City Council, acting as the Urban Renewal Authority, tabled an application to donate the property to the city because of questions over land contracts for it.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.