by Kate Evans
A Thursday afternoon vehicle fire in the Valley High Timber Farms area that endangered multiple vehicles and outbuildings was extinguished before it turned disastrous.
Great Cacapon Volunteer Fire Company Captain Junior Hook said the fire call came in on July 19 around 4:15 p.m. for multiple cars on fire endangering a structure on Roberts Road outside of Great Cacapon. The structure was an outbuilding. Hook said when firefighters first arrived on the scene one car was on fire and a neighbor had the vehicle fire almost out.
Hook, who was the officer in charge of the scene, said that the vehicle fire occurred as the car was being hoisted onto a car trailer. The vehicle’s gas tank dragged on the ramp as it was being lifted and it tore a hole in the gas tank and sparked, causing the vehicle to catch on fire.
If the wind had been blowing, it would have spread the fire to five or six other vehicles and another outbuilding that were close by, Hook said. He credited the neighbor with grabbing a garden hose and having the fire knocked down by the time firefighters got there.
The full box alarm was called to respond which included Great Cacapon, Paw Paw, Berkeley Springs and Hancock Volunteer Fire Companies. Hook said he held all of Paw Paw’s trucks and the Great Cacapon brush truck once on scene and cancelled the other companies which were en route.
Hook said there were no injuries. Firefighters were on the scene for around 40 minutes.
