Water is pumped onto a fire Sunday morning at Peoples Cartage in south Parkersburg. Numerous agencies responded to the fire. Crews also responded to a smaller fire at the facility on Saturday. (Photo by Jess Mancini)

PARKERSBURG – Fire departments from throughout Wood County are battling a blaze at the Peoples Cartage facility just outside Parkersburg.

Billowing black smoke could be seen from miles away including from north of Marietta.

“It’s being treated as an all-county fire so we have representatives or members from all of our county agencies,” a Wood County 911 Center supervisor said.

The initial call came in at 5:31 a.m. and people were evacuated from the building, the supervisor said.

It was the second call of the weekend to the complex of warehouse facilities. On Saturday, the Deerwalk, East Wood, Lubeck, Mineral Wells and Parkersburg fire departments responded to what turned out to be a smaller fire with a lot of smoke inside, according to Pete McMullen, firefighter/treasurer with the Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department.

The source was determined to be a box of plastic material that had combusted, something that can happen with that substance, McMullen said. A sprinkler system in the warehouse activated, resulting in a good deal of smoke, but keeping the fire from spreading.

“That’s what saved it for everybody,” McMullen said.

McMullen noted WVU Medicine Camden Clark Ambulance Service also responded but there were no injuries related to the fire or Saturday’s extreme heat.