Blaze destroys Jackson County facility
Natalee SeelyMILLWOOD - A fire that started around 4 a.m. Wednesday destroyed a warehouse in Jackson County and sent a firefighter to the hospital for treatment, officials said.
The building on West Virginia 2 in Millwood is owned by Great American Lines and rented by J&M Industrial, which rebuilds equipment and sells it.
The company stored machinery and industrial equipment in the warehouse.
Ravenswood fire Chief Terry Drennen said the aluminum building was destroyed and the cause of the fire and where it started are being investigated by the state fire marshal.
"The fire was equally spread throughout the building," said Drennen. "So there's just no way to tell where it originated until the investigation is complete."
Mike Delong, a firefighter with Ravenswood Fire Department, was sent to Jackson General Hospital for treatment and released shortly after 8 a.m. Officials said it was unclear whether Delong suffered from heat exhaustion or smoke inhalation.
No one was near the building when it caught fire and fire officials were unsure who called to report it, Drennen said.
Ravenswood, Ripley and Cottageville fire departments, along with Jackson County EMS, were on the scene early Wednesday morning.
Firefighters had the blaze under control by about 7 a.m., but the building was a total loss, Drennen said. A damage estimate has not been determined.
Drennen said most of the machinery in the warehouse was metal and might be salvaged.
Dave Cooper, the owner of J&M Industrial, said the fire was a big loss to the company, and he does not have immediate plans to find another storage location.
The 20,000-square-foot warehouse was a storage location for the company's industrial equipment, he said.
"It's too early to tell what we'll do next," Cooper said.
