Overnight fires claim two lives in West Virginia
(Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)
CHARLESTON — A Wood County man and an Ohio County man were the victims in two separate fatal fires that occurred Thursday night, according to the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office. The first fire was located in Valley Grove, Ohio County. The victim in that fire was a 29-year-old male. That fire is still under investigation by Fire Marshal’s Office investigators and the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, the Marshal’s Office reported. The second victim, a 62-year-old male, died due to a house fire in Parkersburg. He was pulled from inside the house by Parkersburg firefighters and taken by EMS to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased, the Marshal’s Office reported. Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews said the call came in at 10:34 p.m. Thursday and firefighters responded to a duplex at 2328 Pennsylvania Ave. Upon arrival, they found the fire at the rear kitchen area, entered and attacked with hoses as they searched for possible occupants and found the male, who was removed, received CPR and transported to WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center where he was declared deceased. Matthews was not identifying the victim Friday afternoon pending notification of family. The fire originated in the kitchen area, he said. The cause of the fire is unknown, but there were no working smoke alarms in the home. Matthews said there were multiple heat sources in use, including space heaters, a stove and a propane heater and investigators are still trying to determine if one of those was the point of origin. Matthews said smoke alarms can help save lives in the event of a fire, buying precious time. Rental property landlords must install detectors but it is up to tenants to make sure they have fresh batteries, he said. Firefighters dealt with cold temperatures and ice during the response, but no firefighters were injured, he said. The first hydrant they attempted to use was frozen over but they moved to a second which worked, he said. Fire crews left the scene at 3:05 a.m. Friday. The State Fire Marshal is assisting with the investigation, Matthews said.Local News
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