Fire erupts at Peoples Cartage, drawing departments from Wood County and beyond
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)
A truck from the Waverly Volunteer Fire Department was among numerous fire companies returning to Peoples Cartage on Sunday where a fire from Saturday apparently rekindled. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency worker reviews data from an air quality monitor at the scene of a fire Sunday evening at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg city limits. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
An air quality monitoring device set up by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set up at the scene of a fire Sunday evening at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg city limits. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Smoke from the fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg is seen Sunday morning from Blennerhassett Avenue in Belpre. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Water lines lead to the fire at Peoples Cartage on Sunday morning. (Photos by Jess Mancini)
Erickson Field is dwarfed Sunday morning by the black smoke billowing from Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue in south Parkersburg where local fire departments. Smoke could be seen from as far away as north of Marietta. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Smoke continues to billow Sunday afternoon from a fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg. (Photo provided)
Smoke from the fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg is visible from the lot of Atlas Towing on West Virginia 47. (Photo provided)
Smoke from the fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg is visible from the lot of Atlas Towing on West Virginia 47. (Photo provided)
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)
A truck from the Waverly Volunteer Fire Department was among numerous fire companies returning to Peoples Cartage on Sunday where a fire from Saturday apparently rekindled. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency worker reviews data from an air quality monitor at the scene of a fire Sunday evening at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg city limits. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
An air quality monitoring device set up by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set up at the scene of a fire Sunday evening at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg city limits. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Smoke from the fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg is seen Sunday morning from Blennerhassett Avenue in Belpre. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Water lines lead to the fire at Peoples Cartage on Sunday morning. (Photos by Jess Mancini)
Erickson Field is dwarfed Sunday morning by the black smoke billowing from Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue in south Parkersburg where local fire departments. Smoke could be seen from as far away as north of Marietta. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Smoke continues to billow Sunday afternoon from a fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg. (Photo provided)
Smoke from the fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg is visible from the lot of Atlas Towing on West Virginia 47. (Photo provided)
Smoke from the fire at Peoples Cartage on Camden Avenue just outside Parkersburg is visible from the lot of Atlas Towing on West Virginia 47. (Photo provided)
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PARKERSBURG - A fire at a warehouse complex reignited early Sunday morning, sending a thick plume of black smoke into the air and forcing firefighters from Wood County and beyond into what looks to be a long operation to safely extinguish it.
East Wood Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ron Utt said Sunday evening the fire was 95-100% contained at the Peoples Cartage facility on Camden Avenue just outside the Parkersburg city limits.
"This is going to be a multi-day event," he said.
The U.S. EPA and state agencies were at the site and monitoring air and water quality, Utt said. Acknowledging that plastic materials burning create "toxic smoke," Utt said there had been no air quality advisories issued. The National Weather Service was monitoring conditions to see if weather patterns might force the smoke lower, necessitating potential shelter-in-place or evacuation orders, he said.
On Sunday, the smoke was going high up into the air, Utt said.
"That's what we really need it to do, so that the smoke leaves, dissipates and goes," he said.
The fire started less than 24 hours after a smaller incident at the same facility. On Saturday, a box of plastic material in the warehouse combusted, activating the sprinkler system and creating a lot of smoke, but a fire that was contained.
"That's what saved it for everybody," said Pete McMullen, a firefighter and treasurer with the Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department, on Saturday.
The second fire was reported around 5:31 a.m., according to the Wood County 911 Center.
Utt said Peoples Cartage had personnel on scene, doing repairs to the sprinkler system, which was not operational at that point, and performing a fire watch. They found a pocket of fire that had reignited.
"It got air. It took off. They tried to contain it, but they (weren't) able," Utt said.
Personnel were evacuated without sustaining any injuries, officials said.
As the fire spread, an excavator provided by Bosley Construction was utilized to separate a portion of the large building and isolate the fire to one area, Utt said.
"It is now two buildings," he said.
A supervisor at the 911 Center said the incident was considered an "all-county fire," so representatives from every fire department in the county responded. On Sunday evening, Utt noted firefighters from Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie and Wirt County were on scene as well.
Firefighters from the southern part of the state, coordinated through the state fire marshal's office, were set to arrive this morning to relieve their local counterparts.
Utt also enlisted the aid of SPSI, a Pennsylvania-based contractor, to provide equipment to pump water directly from the Little Kanawha River, to ease the pressure on the Parkersburg water supply.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency in Wood County as a result of the fire after visiting the site on Sunday.
"Protecting the people of Wood County and supporting the brave first responders on the scene are our top priorities," the governor said in a release from his office. "This State of Emergency ensures every available state resource is ready to assist local officials for as long as necessary while we continue monitoring conditions and protecting nearby communities."
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office announced it was enacting a secure perimeter around the large Camden Avenue site "to ensure public safety and allow emergency crews to work without interruption."
Everybody except first responders and individuals authorized by incident command are to “stay clear of the area,” the sheriff’s office said in a release on its Facebook page. The boundaries of the perimeter are from Elder Street to the Little Kanawha River, from Elder Street down Camden Avenue to Murray Lane and along the river between Elder Street and Murray Lane.
The release also advised people to monitor official channels “for further updates or evacuation orders.”
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.