PARKERSBURG - Several concerned neighbors called the Wood County 911 Center after smelling smoke and seeing flames shooting out of a house on 39th Street on Monday afternoon, a fire official said.
Parkersburg Fire Capt. Tim Flinn said the fire at 1402 39th St. was electrical in nature and was started by a fan that was left on.
"Fortunately the renters were not home," said the house's owner Gail Hopkins, who owns the Emerson Square medical plaza near the structure.
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Parkersburg firefighters emerge from 1402 39th St. Monday afternoon after extinguishing a blaze.
Hopkins did not wish to release the name of the resident.
Heather Nesselroad of 1413 39th St. was one of the neighbors who called the emergency services, which included five fire engines and several ambulances.
"I smelled the smoke and after seeing the flames coming from the house I called 911," she said.
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Photo by Jeff Baughan
Parkersburg firefighters emerge from 1402 39th St. Monday afternoon after extinguishing a blaze, which had engulfed the back portion of the home.
When Nesselroad first made the call the flames were shooting from the top of the roof in the back of the house and by the time the fire department arrived flames were coming from under the roof in the front.
"I've never seen anything like it," she said. "It really didn't take the fire department long to get here, but the fire spread fast."
Hopkins said he had been at home when the fire broke out and received calls from his offices about smoke and flames coming from the home.
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In Brief
No injuries were reported after neighbors contacted the Wood County 911 Center after seeing smoke and flames coming from a home on 39th Street Monday afternoon.
The owner of the house said he was relieved the renters who lived at 1402 39th St. were not at home when the fire started.
The cause of the fire is unknown and the case has been referred to the Wood County Fire Investigation Team.
"I came over to see what was going on and it doesn't look good," he said.
Flinn said the house sustained an estimated $50,000 in damage and could be a total loss.
"The fire itself was put out within 15 minutes, but the heat and smoke took a long while to ventilate from the house because of the odd structure," he said.
The house was estimated to be a floor-and-a-half and had smoldering items inside.
No injuries were reported at the scene, although one firefighter had to seek medical attention due to the heat of the fire as well as the humidity and warm summer temperatures, Flinn said.
"The heat does take a toll on the firefighters because of the gear, the outside temperatures with humidity and then the heat of the fire," he said. "Although we did rotate firefighters in the building and they drank plenty of fluids, firefighter Chris Pickett needed medical attention."
