Firefighters battle two house fires on same day
Area firefighters responded to two different house fires last Wednesday. One blaze engulfed a home on Jim West Road. The other fire damaged a garage that had been converted into an apartment on Winchester Grade Road.
The fire call came in on August 4 around 2:02 p.m. for 8845 Winchester Grade Road, which is just north of Greenwood Elementary, said South Morgan Volunteer Fire Company firefighter Don Clark.
Clark, who was first on the scene, said there was an active fire on the right rear of the building and behind the building on arrival. The garage was a wooden structure, he said.
A home and barn were nearby, but the fire didn’t reach those structures, Clark said. The blaze was brought under control very quickly, he said.
Two firefighters were overcome by heat while fighting the blaze, Clark said. They were checked at the scene by the Morgan County Rescue Service and released. Both firefighters are okay, he said.
They weren’t sure what caused the fire or where it started, Clark said.
Clark didn’t know if anyone was inside the apartment when the fire broke out. The right rear of the building was damaged and part of the roof. No damage estimates were available.
Units from South Morgan, Reynolds Store, Hancock, Great Cacapon and Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Companies responded to the fire. Firefighters were on the scene for approximately an hour and a half, Clark said.
Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief James Steiner was the officer in charge of the fire scene.
Jim West Road fire
The call came in for a fully involved structure fire at 1416 Jim West Road at 7:21 p.m. on August 4, according to the Morgan County 911 dispatch center.
Units from Berkeley Springs, Hancock, South Morgan, Little Orleans, Great Cacapon and Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Companies responded to the fire. The Morgan County Rescue Service was also on the scene.
Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Company officials could not be reached for further information on either of the fires.
