Off-duty firefighters from the Morgantown Fire Department were called in to battle a blaze at an empty building on Don Knotts Boulevard.
When firefighters arrived at 195 Don Knotts Blvd. — the former Dinsmore Tire building — about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, they saw flames going through the roof and the officer in charge called for a second alarm response, then a general alarm, according to a Morgantown press release.
A general alarm requires all off-duty firefighters to come in, the release said. The original section of the building was saved by using two aerial platform trucks to suppress the fire. The rear section of the building’s roof, believed to have been added in the 1970s, was destroyed by the fire and efforts to fight it.
The building is next to the water treatment plant, and a Morgantown Utility Board plant employee called 911 about the fire, MUB spokesperson Chris Dale said.
“We thank the Morgantown Fire Department for their prompt and effective response,” Dale said.
There were no injuries reported, the release said.
“I’m impressed with what we were able to save,” Morgantown Fire Chief Mark Caravasos said.
He said the second ladder truck was helpful to the effort and the firefighters would have been hurt without it. Should Morgantown’s proposed budget pass, 12 firefighters hired through a SAFER grant would be cut, which means the truck would not have been available for the initial response to the fire.
The building is vacant and owned by the MUB, according to the release.
Evidence from an investigation into the fire shows a cooking or warming fire was set in the metal building addition, according to the release. It also appeared a fire extinguisher was discharged in an attempt to stop the fire.
The entire building had “numerous” indictors that homeless people used the building for shelter or as a living space, the release said.
MUB will demolish the buildings and fence off the area, Dale said.
MUB will also take additional steps to secure the original buildings, which survived the fire, against unauthorized entry, which has been an ongoing concern, Dale said.
MUB purchased the property in February 2019 for $738,000 to one day expand the water treatment plant, Dale said.
“Because the property was once an oil pumping station and an auto garage, MUB applied for a Brownfields grant to demolish the original buildings and return the area to grasslands,” Dale said. “The result of this application is expected in June. The buildings have been vacant since the time of MUB’s purchase.”
Anyone with information about the fire should call the Morgantown Arson Hotline at 304-225-3586.
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