MORGANTOWN — March Madness likely saved several homes from a fire on Thursday.
“God bless March Madness,” Matt White, 35, said.
White said he took the day off to watch the tournament and that’s why he was able to call 911 when a fire started behind his house on Eastern Trail Drive about 5:30 p.m.
The fire started small near the rail trail, White said. By the time he ran inside to put boots on the fire had climbed the cliff and was on the edge of his neighbor’s fence. White said he used a garden hose to fight the fire until the fire department showed up.
Matt Peery, a firefighter with Brookhaven Volunteer Fire Department, said the fire didn’t spread to the houses and that meant it was a good day.
Firefighters saturated the area with water from a fire engine and at least two tankers. Other firefighters, from Westover’s brushfire team, responded in pickup trucks along the rail trail. They could be seen raking the ground in areas that had been burned to make sure no fire was lingering underneath the leaves.
White said he’s definitely going to put money in the boot from now on.
Cool Springs VFD and Cheat Lake VFD also responded to the brush fire.
