by Kate Evans
A Berkeley Springs family lost their home in a Wednesday, August 28 fire. Area firefighters battled the heat as well as the fire as the heat index rose to around 104 degrees that day.
The call for a structure fire came in at 5:22 p.m. to the Morgan County 911 Dispatch Center for Fairbee Road, which is south of Berkeley Springs off Eppinger Road, said Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief Michael McCarty.
McCarty was in command of the fire scene. McCarty believed that a passerby called the fire in to 911.
The first unit on the scene was a Great Cacapon Volunteer Fire Company engine that was heading to the South Morgan Volunteer Fire Department for carnival station coverage. They found smoke pouring out from the eaves, evidence of a second-floor fire. The fire was fully involved at that point.
The home was an older single family residence and is considered a total loss, said McCarty. There were no injuries during the fire.
The cause of the fire is undetermined. There is no foul play suspected, he said. The family declined assistance from the American Red Cross.
The family had said there was a dog inside the house, but it may have made it out because they found no carcass, McCarty said.
There were firefighters operating on the scene from Morgan, Frederick, Washington and Berkeley Counties. They had lots of manpower and switched out the crews with the heat, he said.
There were no exposures to the fire from other buildings and fire crews were able to keep the fire contained to the home, McCarty said. Firefighters spent around one and a half hours on the fire scene until 6:50 p.m. and then all units were released.
Units that responded to the fire scene were Berkeley Springs, South Morgan, Great Cacapon, Reynolds Store, Hancock, Back Creek, Little Orleans, Gainesboro and Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Companies and also Morgan County Emergency Medical Services.
McCarty said that fire crews worked well and efficiently in putting out the fire despite the weather.
“We did what we could for it, but the house is still a total loss,” McCarty said.
The cause of the fire was unknown at press time.
