The historic Tracewell House on DuPont Road caught on fire early Wednesday morning with crews from local volunteer fire departments responding. The home, originally built in 1835, suffered significant damage. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG – A fire that caused significant damage to the historical Tracewell House is believed to have been accidental, although a specific cause has not been determined yet.

Local volunteer fire departments responded to the home in the 2000 block of DuPont Road, next to the Sunset Memory Gardens Cemetery, just after 2 a.m. Wednesday morning to a report of a structure fire.

“They haven’t determined the cause yet,” Blennerhassett Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Sams said Friday after conferring with investigators. “They are still looking at it.”

When crews arrived on the scene, flames were showing from the house.

Sams said the majority of the fire was concentrated in the back of the house.

Firefighters entered the home through the front door to do an interior attack, but were pulled out when part of the roof and a chimney collapsed.

“The fire made its way into the attic,” Sams said, adding their efforts then switched to “defensive mode,” concentrated on the exterior of the house.

Crews responded with four tankers and a pumper as well as around 25 firefighters from the Blennerhassett, Lubeck, Washington Bottom and Mineral Wells volunteer fire departments, Sams said.

The only injury reported was a firefighter who had an ember fall on their wrist and burned them slightly, but nothing else.

Also on the scene was Camden Clark Ambulance, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department and the Wood County Fire Investigation Team.

Crews cleared the scene at around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Members of the Wood County Historic Landmarks Commission were at the house Wednesday afternoon doing an assessment to see if grants might be applied for to help with any repairs.

The house, which is also known as Maple Shadows, was built in 1835 and was a prime example of Greek Revival architecture in Wood County, historical officials said.

It was the home of Edward Tracewell who was sheriff of Wood County around 1850 and played a role in the establishment of West Virginia as a state, they said.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

The owner maintained the house, but it wasn’t being used for anything specific.

The house had significant damage and any repairs will depend on what the owner will want to do, historical officials said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com