By Stephen Smoot, The Pendleton Times
PENDLETON COUNTY, W.Va. — In Franklin, Fort Seybert, and Upper Tract over the past week, four fires kept Pendleton County fire and rescue units busy as they tried to contain flames stirred by springlike temperatures and higher winds.
Potentially, the most dangerous fire took place last Tuesday. On the 1000 block of Entry Mountain Road at about 8:40 p.m., Pendleton 911 dispatched the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department to a “working structure fire,” as they described it on their Facebook page. Initially, the FVFD treated the fire as “a potential entrapment,” but crews from Engine 26, Engine 22, and Tanker 25 quickly ascertained that all had escaped the home.
They saw the single-story home consumed by “a heavy fire.” As was described on the FVFD Facebook page, “crews initiated an interior attack, performed searches to ensure no victims were inside, and conducted an extensive overhaul of the structure to uncover hot spots and ensure extinguishment.”
Responders had to contend with “heavy fire and high heat” as they navigated the burning home.
Aiding FVFD in the response was Upper Tract VFD, South Fork VFD, Pendleton County Emergency Rescue, West Virginia State Police, Pendleton County Sheriff’s Department, Pendleton County Emergency Management, and Mon Power.
No injuries were reported among either residents or responders. A GoFundMe was set up to help the family recover after losing most of their belongings.
At about 3 p.m. on Saturday, Pendleton 911 was alerted to two brush fires burning over 20 miles apart in the county.
According to the Upper Tract Volunteer Fire Department, the Upper Tract blaze found itself confronted by the quick response of a forestry fire class that had just ended.
Responders quickly suppressed the fire, which consumed two acres.
As UTVFD and other units responded to that fire, reports of a more serious blaze came in to Pendleton 911.
Read more: https://pendletontimes.com/first-responders-kept-busy-by-fires-over-past-week/
