One person was killed Tuesday morning in a fire at 816 Market St., Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews said. The fire was in the top floor of the three-story building across the street from the First Baptist Church. (Photo by Art Smith)

PARKERSBURG — One person died Tuesday morning in a fire in a downtown Parkersburg building, authorities said.

The Parkersburg Fire Department received the fire call at about 10:45 a.m. for 816 Market St., where heavy smoke was coming from the rear, Fire Chief Jason Matthews said.

Firefighters entered the building after the initial knockdown of the fire and found the victim, he said.

“We did find one victim on the third floor,” Matthews said.

Firefighters carried the body out of the top floor of the building from the rear at around 11:15 a.m. The identity of the deceased was unavailable Tuesday.

Mikayla Thomet and her daughter, Sophia, 3 months, stand outside their residence at 816 Market St. that caught on fire Tuesday morning. (Photo by Art Smith)

Several of the tenants in the building’s apartments assembled in the parking lot at Truist Bank.

Mikayla Thomet, who lives in the next door apartment, said at first she didn’t think there was a fire.

“Until I went outside and saw smoke,” she said, carrying her daughter, Sophia, 3 months,

Sophia was wrapped in a blanket in her mother’s arms.

“I fed her before, so she’s good,” Mikayla said.

Smoke flows from the rear of 816 Market St. where one person was killed in a fire, according to the Parkersburg Fire Department. (Photo by Art Smith)

Tyler Sampson, who lives on the second floor, also didn’t think there was a fire, thinking an alarm was set off by cooking.

“I thought it was bacon burning,” he said.

Sampson also said he discovered something was burning when he stepped outside and saw the smoke.

Smoke was visible around downtown. The building is across the street from the First Baptist Church on Market Street.

Jake Eddy has a personal recording studio on the first floor of the building and was notified by his father, a firefighter, of the fire. Eddy, who plays guitar and performs solo acts outside the area, arrived at the building to see if there was any damage to the studio.

A firefighter from the Parkersburg Fire Department enters the rear of 816 Market St. where a person died Tuesday morning in a fire. (Photo by Art Smith)

The fire started on the third floor, but there was smoke and water damage throughout the building, Matthews said. A cause had not been determined as of Tuesday afternoon, he said.

“The investigation is still ongoing,” Matthews said.

The department Tuesday was trying to contact a property maintenance manager to secure the building, he said.

The West Virginia Fire Marshal has been notified because a fatality was involved, Matthews said. The fire department is working with the fire marshal’s office in the investigation, he said.

“They have been notified,” Matthews said.

Firefighters from the Parkersburg Fire Department work the rear of 816 Market St. where one person died Tuesday morning in a fire. (Photo by Art Smith)

The building was the subject of litigation from 2021 contesting the city’s efforts to inspect the property. The property has not been inspected since the litigation started, City Attorney Blaine Myers said.

A firefighter watches the smoke billow from the windows where water is sprayed into the top floor of 816 Market St. in Parkersburg. One person was killed, Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews said. (Photo by Art Smith)